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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: ground · bat · vault · drill · cell · tear · object · stick

  1. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. ground — the earth
  3. cell — a phone
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. bat — the animal
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. tear — from crying
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ground — crushed
  15. drill — army training
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. object — a thing
  18. object — to protest
  19. vault — a safe
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. tear — from crying
  23. object — an aim
  24. ground — a position

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