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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. swing — to play on
  5. club — a group
  6. last — final
  7. last — to go on
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. swing — in golf
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. last — finally
  18. bark — to shout
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. swing — music

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