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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: vault · foot · track · squash · kid · bat

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. squash — the sport
  4. track — a song
  5. track — to keep track
  6. foot — a measure
  7. squash — to crush
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kid — to tease
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. kid — child
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. vault — a safe
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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