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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: cap · firm · current · rash · vault · arm · snap · pitcher

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. firm — decided
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cap — a hat
  7. snap — to click
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — a lid
  13. current — of water
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. current — happening now
  16. rash — hasty
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. current — electric
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. firm — a company
  23. rash — a series
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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