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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cap — a hat
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to click
  6. current — happening now
  7. cap — a lid
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cap — of ice
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. squash — to crush
  13. current — electric
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rock — a stone
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. face — to point toward
  19. squash — the sport
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. face — part of the head
  22. current — of water
  23. face — to confront
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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