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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. drill — the tool
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. vault — a safe
  6. drill — a practice
  7. pit — a hole
  8. board — to get on
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. file — a line of people
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. file — a document
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. scale — size or range
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. board — a committee
  20. pit — in a race
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. drill — army training
  23. file — a tool
  24. scale — in music

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