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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. fall — to drop
  4. fall — to drop
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — to bend
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. land — ground
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — of law
  12. bank — of a river
  13. vault — a safe
  14. land — a country
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bat — the animal
  17. court — for sport
  18. fall — the season
  19. land — to come down
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bank — for money
  22. lean — thin
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — of a king

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