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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: net · rest · kick · bat · fall · racket · vault · pitch

  1. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. rest — what's left
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. net — after costs
  6. bat — the animal
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. kick — in football
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. pitch — completely
  14. rest — a break
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. net — for catching
  20. vault — a safe
  21. net — in sport
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. fall — the season
  24. rest — what's left

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