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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: bay · drill · game · arm · cabinet · pit · hand · vault

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. drill — the tool
  3. hand — help
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. hand — in cards
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. pit — in a race
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. vault — a safe
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. pit — a hole
  16. drill — a practice
  17. drill — army training
  18. game — a match
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. game — wild animals
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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