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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: snap · race · spring · vault · rest · roll · stand · face

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. spring — a coil
  3. roll — a list
  4. spring — of water
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. roll — a cake
  8. vault — a safe
  9. face — part of the head
  10. snap — to click
  11. rest — what's left
  12. face — to confront
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. race — humankind
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — to bear
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. face — to point toward
  20. rest — what's left
  21. spring — the season
  22. race — the arms race
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. race — a contest

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