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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: swing · club · fall · bat · vault · craft · mark · rule

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. club — for golf
  3. mark — a trace
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. craft — a skill
  6. mark — a grade
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rule — a law
  9. club — a group
  10. bat — the animal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. vault — a safe
  13. craft — boats
  14. fall — to drop
  15. fall — the season
  16. swing — in golf
  17. fall — to drop
  18. rule — government
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. swing — to play on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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