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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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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. hand — in cards
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stock — goods
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. kid — child
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. stock — shares
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. vault — a safe
  24. kid — to tease

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