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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 120 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 · pitcher · club · foot · stick · lash · vault · bear

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. vault — a safe
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. club — for golf
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. club — for dancing
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. foot — a measure
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. club — a group
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. foot — the bottom

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