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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cell — a phone
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mug — a cup
  6. lean — to bend
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. lean — thin
  10. mug — a face
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. bat — the animal
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. toast — bread
  18. vault — a safe
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. foot — a measure
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cell — in biology

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