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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mate — a friend
  4. snap — to click
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. season — in sport
  7. chip — for betting
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. chip — to eat
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. spell — magic
  17. vault — a safe
  18. snap — to snap out of it

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