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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: vault · pop · club · bay · lie · bat · chest · game

  1. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. lie — to recline
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. club — a group
  17. pop — soda
  18. pop — music
  19. game — wild animals
  20. vault — a safe
  21. game — a match
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bat — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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