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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pound — a weight
  7. field — for sport
  8. drill — a practice
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. field — farmland
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. field — a subject
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. drill — the tool
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. drill — army training
  24. bat — for baseball

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