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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: cell · mine · drill · pit · jam · vault · game · snap

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mine — for digging
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cell — a phone
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. cell — in biology
  13. pit — a hole
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. game — a match
  20. game — wild animals
  21. drill — the tool
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. snap — to click

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