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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. rule — a law
  3. present — the time now
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. toast — bread
  7. row — to paddle
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. present — there
  10. net — after costs
  11. net — for catching
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. present — a gift
  17. rule — government
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. row — a line
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. lash — an eyelash

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