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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. band — a ring
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. band — a music group
  5. mate — a partner
  6. bat — the animal
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. mate — a friend
  10. vault — a safe
  11. scale — size or range
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. club — for golf
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. scale — in music
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. club — a group
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mate — to breed
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. club — for dancing

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