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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. fall — the season
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. foot — a measure
  9. last — finally
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. last — to go on
  14. fall — to drop
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fall — to drop
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bat — the animal
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. plane — a tool
  22. last — final
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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