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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — a safe
  6. lean — thin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. lean — to bend
  10. hand — in cards
  11. track — a path
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bat — the animal
  16. club — a group
  17. race — a contest
  18. bulb — for light
  19. club — for golf
  20. race — humankind
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. race — the arms race
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. hand — help

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