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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kick — in football
  3. mug — a cup
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. snap — to click
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. craft — a skill
  12. spring — a coil
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. mug — a face
  17. squash — the sport
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. mug — to rob
  20. vault — a safe
  21. craft — boats
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. squash — to crush

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