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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. spell — magic
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. rock — music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. march — the month
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. march — music
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. spell — letters
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. rock — a stone
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. temple — side of the head

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