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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. last — finally
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cold — an illness
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. rush — hurry
  17. last — to go on
  18. last — final
  19. snap — to click
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. season — of the year
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. season — in sport
  24. cold — not warm

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