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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: bat · scale · squash · vault · bound · pit · hand · dip

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. pit — a hole
  3. bound — tied together
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. squash — the sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. squash — to crush
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. vault — a safe
  17. scale — size or range
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. hand — help
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. bound — certain
  24. bound — obliged

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