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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · present · vault · bear · pitcher · cell

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. present — the time now
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. vault — a safe
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. swing — to play on
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. swing — in golf
  14. bear — the animal
  15. present — there
  16. swing — music
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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