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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. rock — a stone
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. bat — the animal
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rock — music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. squash — the sport
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable

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