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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: cap · saw · pitcher · vault · can · cell · chip · wake

  1. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. wake — a trail
  8. saw — the tool
  9. cell — in biology
  10. can — a tin
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. chip — to eat
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. cap — a lid
  15. can — a tin
  16. cell — a phone
  17. cap — a hat
  18. chip — for betting
  19. cap — of ice
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — a safe
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chip — in a computer

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