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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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. club — for golf
  6. ground — the earth
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. club — a group
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. club — for dancing
  11. file — a document
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. ground — crushed
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. ground — a position
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. bat — the animal
  24. vault — a safe

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