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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rash — a series
  5. ball — a dance
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. club — for dancing
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — hasty
  10. vault — a safe
  11. ground — a position
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. ground — crushed
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — after costs
  16. board — a committee
  17. ball — a great time
  18. board — to get on
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. net — for catching
  24. rash — on the skin

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