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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 116 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: pitch · straw · saw · last · vault · lie · club · spell

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. saw — the tool
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. spell — magic
  5. lie — to recline
  6. saw — the tool
  7. last — final
  8. pitch — completely
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. club — for dancing
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. last — finally
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. last — to go on
  23. club — a group
  24. club — for golf

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