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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  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 speak sharply
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. mate — a partner
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. mate — a friend
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wound — an injury
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. snap — to click
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. wound — an injury
  22. mate — to breed
  23. pitcher — a jug
  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