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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. mug — a face
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bat — the animal
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. shower — to wash
  11. shower — rain
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. track — a song
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. track — a path
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mine — for digging
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. track — to keep track

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