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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. vault — a safe
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. rash — a series
  7. firm — steady
  8. cap — a hat
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. firm — decided
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. cap — of ice
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. firm — a company
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. cap — a lid

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