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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. object — to protest
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. can — a tin
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. object — an aim
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. squash — to crush
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. fall — the season
  12. object — a thing
  13. foot — a measure
  14. fall — to drop
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bat — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. fall — to drop
  20. can — a tin
  21. squash — the sport
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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