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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. chest — of your body
  6. last — final
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. swing — music
  10. last — finally
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. roll — a cake
  15. vault — a safe
  16. band — a music group
  17. chest — of your body
  18. swing — to play on
  19. roll — a list
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. last — to go on
  22. swing — in golf
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chest — a box

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