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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: snap · ball · shower · bark · fine · squash · last · vault

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. shower — rain
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. squash — the sport
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. last — final
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fine — all right
  15. last — to go on
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. snap — to click
  19. bark — to shout
  20. last — finally
  21. squash — to crush
  22. shower — to wash
  23. ball — a great time
  24. vault — a safe

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