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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. spell — a short time
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. present — there
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — a safe
  7. snap — to click
  8. net — after costs
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. spell — magic
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cap — a hat
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — of ice
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. net — in sport
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. present — a gift
  21. spell — letters
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. net — for catching

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