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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. band — a music group
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. rock — music
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. prune — to trim
  13. band — a ring
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. rock — a stone
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. bat — the animal
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. vault — a safe
  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