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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 120 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 · kid · vault · fan · dip · can · ruler · bat

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. dip — to sink
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — to be able to
  6. vault — a safe
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. can — a tin
  12. bat — the animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. cap — of ice
  18. kid — child
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cap — a hat
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. cap — a lid
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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