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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: fan · pitcher · vault · squash · cold · saw · bound · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. straw — dry grass
  2. saw — the tool
  3. bound — tied together
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. squash — the sport
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bound — obliged
  11. bound — certain
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — a safe
  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