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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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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: season · club · fall · vault · bat · current · pit · ball

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ball — a dance
  3. season — in sport
  4. pit — a hole
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. club — for golf
  9. current — electric
  10. club — a group
  11. current — happening now
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fall — to drop
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. season — of the year
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. bat — the animal
  21. current — of water
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. fall — the season
  24. vault — a safe

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