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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 120 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: hand · can · face · drill · vault · squash · mouse · bat

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. face — to confront
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. squash — to crush
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. face — to point toward
  7. squash — the sport
  8. drill — the tool
  9. hand — help
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. vault — a safe
  13. bat — the animal
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. can — a tin
  16. face — part of the head
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. drill — a practice
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. drill — army training
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — in cards

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