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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. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. last — finally
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. last — to go on
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to click
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. tube — a container
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. vault — a safe
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. last — final
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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