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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 116 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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · mouse · snap · rock · straw · hand

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. snap — to click
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. hand — help
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. hand — in cards
  12. vault — a safe
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. rock — a stone

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