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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. row — a line
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. snap — to click
  5. vault — a safe
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. spell — a short time
  10. squash — the sport
  11. band — a ring
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. spell — magic
  17. squash — to crush
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. rush — hurry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a music group
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. row — to paddle
  24. spell — letters

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