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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: swing · dip · straw · bat · pop · vault · perch · cell

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. swing — to play on
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cell — a phone
  10. perch — the fish
  11. dip — to sink
  12. pop — music
  13. vault — a safe
  14. swing — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. cell — in biology
  20. pop — to visit
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. swing — in golf
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. straw — dry grass

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