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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 116 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: object · file · straw · capital · wave · hand · net · vault

  1. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — to clutch at straws
  2. net — for catching
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a document
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. net — after costs
  7. hand — help
  8. object — an aim
  9. capital — money
  10. net — in sport
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. capital — a city
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. object — to protest
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. file — a line of people
  21. object — a thing
  22. hand — in cards
  23. vault — a safe
  24. straw — dry grass

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