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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. foot — a measure
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. last — finally
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. firm — a company
  10. last — to go on
  11. present — there
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. roll — a cake
  14. present — a gift
  15. firm — steady
  16. roll — a list
  17. present — the time now
  18. firm — decided
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — a safe
  21. kick — in football
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. last — final
  24. foot — the bottom

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