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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 116 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: land · bark · last · pit · object · lash · vault · bat

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The spa offers ________________ extensions.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pit — in a race
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pit — a hole
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. bark — to shout
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. land — ground
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. land — a country
  15. land — to come down
  16. last — final
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. object — to protest
  20. object — an aim
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. last — to go on
  23. last — finally
  24. lash — an eyelash

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