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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rash — a series
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. bark — to shout
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bound — tied together
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. tube — a container
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. swing — music
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. bound — certain
  20. swing — in golf
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bat — in an idiom

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