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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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Word bank
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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: pound · press · ball · hand · lash · bat · vault · perch

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. pound — a weight
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. press — a publisher
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. perch — the fish
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. hand — help
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hand — in cards
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. ball — a great time
  18. press — newspapers
  19. bat — the animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. press — to push
  24. pound — to hit hard

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