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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. wake — a trail
  3. mug — a cup
  4. file — a line of people
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. game — a match
  8. spell — a short time
  9. mug — to rob
  10. branch — a division
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. mug — a face
  13. snap — to click
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. game — wild animals
  19. spell — letters
  20. file — a document
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. vault — a safe
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. file — a tool

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