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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: clip · scale · last · vault · pitch · bark · cabinet · row

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. row — a line
  7. bark — to shout
  8. clip — for paper
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. clip — to cut
  11. clip — a video
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. row — to paddle
  22. last — final
  23. last — finally
  24. pitch — completely

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