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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: suit · kid · hand · vault · arm · bat · bound · date

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. suit — in cards
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. date — the fruit
  6. kid — child
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. suit — clothes
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. bound — certain
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. hand — help
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. bat — the animal
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bound — tied together
  22. vault — a safe
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. kid — to tease

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