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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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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: shower · vault · bat · racket · rush · mine · foot · arm

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — to wash
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. shower — rain
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. rush — hurry
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. foot — a measure
  23. mine — for digging
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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