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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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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: cabinet · stick · mine · squash · vault · firm · hand · bat

  1. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. firm — decided
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. hand — in cards
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. firm — a company
  10. squash — to crush
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. mine — for digging
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hand — help
  15. firm — steady
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. bat — the animal
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. squash — the 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