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

Word bank: rock · toast · vault · bay · band · chest · racket · hand

  1. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. rock — a stone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. vault — a safe
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. chest — a box
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. band — a ring
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — in cards
  15. band — a music group
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rock — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. hand — help
  24. chest — of your body

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