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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. season — of the year
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. kick — in football
  9. wound — an injury
  10. dip — to sink
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. snap — to click
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. vault — a safe
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. ruler — for measuring

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