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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. rash — hasty
  3. bat — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. face — part of the head
  8. season — in sport
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. vault — a safe
  13. season — of the year
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. branch — a division
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rash — a series
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. face — to confront
  24. branch — of a tree

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