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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: leaves · bat · cell · scale · lash · bay · track · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. cell — in biology
  4. track — a song
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bay — a part of the sea
  15. bat — the animal
  16. scale — size or range
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. cell — a phone
  20. track — to keep track
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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