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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: rest · snap · bat · bulb · chair · mine · vault · band

  1. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rest — what's left
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bulb — for light
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — a break
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. band — a music group
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. snap — to click
  16. chair — a leader
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. bulb — for light
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. vault — a safe
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. band — a ring

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