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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. bank — for money
  3. snap — to click
  4. clip — for paper
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. clip — to cut
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. vault — a safe
  13. foot — a measure
  14. pitch — completely
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. clip — a video
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. bank — of a river
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bank — for money
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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