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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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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: bat · present · leaves · spring · vault · row · drill · chair

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. row — a line
  4. present — there
  5. drill — army training
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. spring — of water
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. present — the time now
  10. drill — the tool
  11. present — a gift
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. chair — a leader
  14. spring — the season
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. drill — a practice
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. spring — a coil
  23. row — to paddle
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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