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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. club — for dancing
  8. club — for golf
  9. last — final
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. wound — an injury
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. last — finally
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — a safe
  20. last — to go on
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. club — a group
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. racket — for tennis

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