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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. plane — a tool
  3. last — final
  4. deal — to handle
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — for digging
  8. swing — music
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. club — a group
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. club — for golf
  15. swing — in golf
  16. last — finally
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. last — to go on
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. club — for dancing
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. swing — to play on

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