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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 · snap · rush · stick · chest · sharp · court · vault

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of law
  10. rush — hurry
  11. chest — of your body
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to click
  15. plane — a tool
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. chest — a box
  23. chest — of your body
  24. court — of a king

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