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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: lash · game · ball · cell · wound · vault · perch · racket

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. wound — an injury
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. cell — a phone
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. wound — an injury
  11. perch — the fish
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. ball — a great time
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. ball — a dance
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. vault — a safe
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — in biology
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. game — a match

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