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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: vault · fan · hand · bay · pit · mouse · arm · net

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pit — a hole
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. net — in sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. net — for catching
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. pit — in a race
  15. net — after costs
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. hand — help
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — in cards
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. mouse — the animal

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