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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. spell — letters
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. pit — a hole
  6. spell — a short time
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. snap — to click
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pit — in a race
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. club — a group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for dancing
  17. game — a match
  18. spell — magic
  19. squash — the sport
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. club — for golf

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