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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 · pass · drill · race · net · ground · hand · vault

  1. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. race — humankind
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. net — in sport
  5. race — the arms race
  6. drill — the tool
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. net — after costs
  9. ground — a position
  10. race — a contest
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pass — a permit
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — a practice
  17. ground — the earth
  18. vault — a safe
  19. hand — help
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. net — for catching

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