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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — a friend
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. craft — boats
  5. mate — to breed
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. ground — a position
  8. ground — the earth
  9. vault — a safe
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mate — a partner
  12. kid — to tease
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. craft — a skill
  17. press — a publisher
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. kid — child
  22. press — newspapers
  23. press — to push
  24. ground — crushed

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