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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: vault · mouse · net · file · swing · toast · shower · straw

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — a safe
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. net — after costs
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. file — a document
  10. toast — bread
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. net — in sport
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — in golf
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. shower — to wash
  18. swing — music
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — rain
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. mouse — the animal

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