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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bat — the animal
  3. kick — in football
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. sharp — clever
  16. hand — in cards
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. hand — help
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. arm — part of the body

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