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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. wound — an injury
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. staff — employees
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. staff — a stick
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to click
  12. tube — the underground
  13. staff — employees
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. tube — a container
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — in football
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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