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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: march · vault · key · arm · fan · rush · pitcher · can

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. key — for a lock
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. march — the month
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. march — the month
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. key — the most important part
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. march — music

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