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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. saw — the tool
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mark — a grade
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to click
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. wake — a trail
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wound — an injury
  23. dip — to sink
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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