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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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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — final
  3. court — for sport
  4. track — a song
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. last — to go on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. vault — a safe
  9. court — of law
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. snap — to click
  12. chip — for betting
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — a tool
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. chip — to eat
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. rush — hurry
  21. last — finally
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. track — a path
  24. court — of a king

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