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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 116 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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. object — an aim
  3. club — for dancing
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wind — moving air
  7. game — a match
  8. row — to paddle
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. vault — a safe
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — a thing
  15. bat — the animal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. wind — moving air
  21. club — a group
  22. row — a line
  23. club — for golf
  24. stand — for spectators

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