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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: hand · kid · drill · content · ball · bank · swing · vault

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bank — for money
  3. swing — in golf
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. content — happy
  7. hand — in cards
  8. drill — army training
  9. bank — for money
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. drill — a practice
  12. kid — child
  13. swing — to play on
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. swing — music
  17. bank — of a river
  18. hand — help
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. kid — to tease
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. ball — a great time
  24. drill — the tool

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