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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. hand — in cards
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. hand — help
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. plane — a tool
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bat — the animal
  15. roll — a list
  16. bulb — for light
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. bat — in an idiom

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