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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. vault — a safe
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. ball — a dance
  15. game — a match
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. game — wild animals
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ball — a great time
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — hurry
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. prune — to trim

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