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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 116 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: bat · lash · clip · hand · dip · cap · cabinet · vault

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. clip — a video
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hand — in cards
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. dip — to sink
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. vault — a safe
  15. clip — to cut
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. cap — a lid
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. cap — of ice
  23. hand — help
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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