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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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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: hide · bat · stick · drill · wind · staff · vault · can

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. can — to be able to
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. drill — the tool
  5. can — a tin
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. staff — employees
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — army training
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. staff — employees
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. wind — moving air
  21. vault — a safe
  22. staff — a stick
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. drill — a practice

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