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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. drill — army training
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. present — a gift
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. drill — a practice
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a match
  10. hand — in cards
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. vault — a safe
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. drill — the tool
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. present — the time now
  21. lean — thin
  22. hand — help
  23. present — there
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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