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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: chip · march · can · vault · wake · face · bowl · straw

  1. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. march — music
  4. can — a tin
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. march — the month
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. chip — for betting
  10. face — to point toward
  11. can — to be able to
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. can — a tin
  15. chip — to eat
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. vault — a safe
  21. face — to confront
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. march — the month
  24. face — part of the head

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