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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: bat · tear · racket · chair · dip · trunk · pitch · vault

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tear — to rip
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. vault — a safe
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. tear — from crying
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bat — the animal
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. pitch — completely
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. dip — to sink
  24. chair — a professorship

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