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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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Word bank
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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: plane · drill · pit · shower · vault · season · calf · snap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. pit — a hole
  7. vault — a safe
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. plane — a tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. season — in sport
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — army training
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pit — in a race
  24. season — of the year

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