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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. degree — from a university
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. prune — to trim
  9. content — happy
  10. degree — an amount
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. hand — help
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. hand — in cards
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. vault — a safe
  18. degree — temperature
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. content — the amount
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. prune — to trim

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