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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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Word bank
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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: cap · bat · straw · squash · pitcher · vault · bore · net

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. net — in sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. net — after costs
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cap — a lid
  10. net — for catching
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. squash — the sport
  14. bore — to drill
  15. bore — to tire
  16. cap — of ice
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cap — a hat

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