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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 124 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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. spell — letters
  3. spell — magic
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. firm — steady
  6. board — to get on
  7. race — the arms race
  8. firm — a company
  9. board — a committee
  10. hand — help
  11. hand — in cards
  12. race — humankind
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. spell — a short time
  19. race — a contest
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. firm — decided
  24. vault — a safe

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