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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. squash — to crush
  6. vault — a safe
  7. dip — to sink
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. ground — crushed
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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