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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: pit · fall · swing · rash · staff · vault · drill · pitcher

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. vault — a safe
  3. staff — a stick
  4. swing — to play on
  5. drill — army training
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — to drop
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. staff — employees
  14. drill — the tool
  15. staff — employees
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. rash — hasty
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pit — in a race
  20. rash — a series
  21. fall — the season
  22. pit — a hole
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. swing — music

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