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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: hand · dip · vault · straw · jam · fall · pitcher · can

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. fall — the season
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. dip — to sink
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — to drop
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. hand — help
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. vault — a safe
  18. hand — in cards
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. fall — to drop
  24. can — to be able to

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