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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: present · bat · chip · mark · lean · vault · straw · can

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. mark — a trace
  6. mark — a grade
  7. chip — for betting
  8. vault — a safe
  9. bat — the animal
  10. can — a tin
  11. chip — to eat
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. present — there
  15. can — a tin
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. can — to be able to
  18. present — the time now
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. present — a gift
  22. lean — to bend
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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