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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: kid · bay · cabinet · bat · drill · rest · stick · squash

  1. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the vegetable
  2. rest — a break
  3. drill — army training
  4. bat — the animal
  5. drill — the tool
  6. kid — to tease
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. drill — a practice
  9. squash — the sport
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kid — child
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. squash — to crush
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rest — what's left
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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