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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: vault · club · face · bear · cell · racket · kick · roll

  1. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. club — for golf
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. roll — a list
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bear — the animal
  12. club — for dancing
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. club — a group
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. cell — in biology
  19. kick — in football
  20. bear — the animal
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — part of the head
  24. cell — a phone

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