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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — a safe
  4. bat — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. rest — a break
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. file — a document
  19. content — the amount
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rest — what's left
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. file — a tool
  24. content — happy

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