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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: file · safe · bat · hand · perch · vault · pitch · plane

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  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. pitch — a sales talk
  2. bat — the animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. hand — help
  5. vault — a safe
  6. plane — a tool
  7. hand — in cards
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. file — a line of people
  12. perch — the fish
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. file — a document
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. file — a tool
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. perch — for a bird
  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