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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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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. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. spell — magic
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wound — an injury
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — an injury
  8. wind — moving air
  9. snap — to click
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spell — letters
  14. spell — a short time
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wind — moving air
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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