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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: snap · chair · vault · key · rash · can · straw · shower

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. can — a tin
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. straw — a straw man
  10. can — to be able to
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. rash — a series
  15. key — in music
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. shower — to wash
  18. can — a tin
  19. rash — hasty
  20. chair — a leader
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. shower — rain
  24. vault — a safe

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