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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: roll · toast · rash · straw · vault · jam · chest · clip

  1. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — to cut
  2. vault — a safe
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. chest — of your body
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. roll — a list
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. toast — bread
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. roll — a cake
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. chest — of your body
  17. rash — hasty
  18. clip — a video
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. rash — a series
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. clip — for paper
  23. chest — a box
  24. jam — in traffic

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