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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. prune — to trim
  3. bat — the animal
  4. race — humankind
  5. root — of a word
  6. cue — a hint
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. prune — to trim
  10. cue — a signal
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. race — the arms race
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. vault — a safe
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. root — the cause
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. race — a contest
  19. snap — to click
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. cue — for pool
  22. root — of a plant
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. lash — to lash out

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