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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: sharp · rush · mate · file · pitcher · vault · swing · band

  1. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. sharp — clever
  3. file — a tool
  4. swing — music
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. mate — to breed
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. mate — a friend
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. mate — a partner
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. band — a music group
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a ring

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com