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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: bat · pass · swing · row · fan · vault · firm · present

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. firm — a company
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. bat — the animal
  6. swing — music
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. pass — a permit
  9. present — there
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. vault — a safe
  12. firm — decided
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. swing — to play on
  16. present — the time now
  17. row — to paddle
  18. present — a gift
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. swing — in golf
  21. row — a line
  22. firm — steady
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bat — in an idiom

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