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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. vault — a safe
  5. saw — the tool
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. saw — the tool
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. hand — in cards
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mate — a friend
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — to breed
  17. branch — a division
  18. kick — in football
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. hand — help
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. mate — a partner

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