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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 · straw · fall · fan · cell · rush · march · racket

  1. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. vault — a safe
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. march — the month
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fall — to drop
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. march — the month
  13. march — music
  14. fall — the season
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. cell — a phone
  17. fall — to drop
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rush — hurry
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. racket — for tennis

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