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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. vault — a safe
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. track — a path
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tube — the underground
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. pitch — completely
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. kid — child
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. tube — a container
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kid — to tease
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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