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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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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: cabinet · vault · club · fall · pass · pitcher · last · stem

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. last — final
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. club — for golf
  5. last — finally
  6. stem — to come from
  7. vault — a safe
  8. fall — the season
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. club — a group
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — a stem cell
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. club — for dancing
  23. last — to go on
  24. pass — to spend time

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