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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: kid · drill · pass · stock · hand · bass · mouse · vault

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. stock — goods
  8. drill — army training
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. stock — shares
  11. hand — in cards
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pass — a permit
  19. kid — child
  20. bass — low music
  21. hand — help
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. drill — a practice
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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