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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 124 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. hand — help
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bat — the animal
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. board — a committee
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — to get on
  12. roll — a list
  13. vault — a safe
  14. wake — a trail
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. stem — to come from
  21. roll — a cake
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. hand — part of the body

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