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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.

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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: perch · vault · present · pop · track · face · mark · pitch

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. mark — a grade
  4. face — part of the head
  5. face — to confront
  6. track — a path
  7. pop — music
  8. track — a song
  9. mark — a trace
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. present — a gift
  13. present — the time now
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pitch — completely
  16. perch — the fish
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pop — soda
  20. present — there
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. pop — to visit
  23. face — to point toward
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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