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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: racket · rest · vault · hand · bat · wound · perch · race

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. vault — a safe
  4. hand — in cards
  5. race — the arms race
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bat — the animal
  8. race — a contest
  9. rest — what's left
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. rest — a break
  12. race — humankind
  13. rest — what's left
  14. perch — the fish
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. wound — an injury
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. hand — help
  24. bat — in an idiom

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