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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: board · fan · cap · date · pound · straw · vault · pitcher

  1. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. board — to get on
  2. cap — a hat
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. pound — a weight
  5. board — a committee
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. vault — a safe
  14. date — the fruit
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. cap — a lid
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. cap — of ice
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. date — on the calendar

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