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

Word bank: chest · snap · object · spring · cap · rock · racket · vault

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. chest — of your body
  3. cap — of ice
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. object — to protest
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. snap — to click
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rock — a stone
  14. spring — a coil
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. rock — music
  17. object — an aim
  18. spring — the season
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. cap — a lid
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. spring — of water
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. object — a thing

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