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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: foot · kid · straw · vault · bat · spell · stick · net

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bat — the animal
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. spell — letters
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. net — for catching
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. spell — magic
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. foot — a measure
  19. spell — a short time
  20. net — after costs
  21. vault — a safe
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. net — in sport

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