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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: straw · cabinet · temple · bat · vault · cap · current · foot

  1. When was this ________________ built?
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. foot — a measure
  5. current — electric
  6. vault — a safe
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a hat
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cap — a lid
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. current — of water
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — the animal
  24. foot — the bottom

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