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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 120 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: swing · bound · vault · pop · cold · track · snap · cabinet

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. track — a path
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pop — soda
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. swing — to play on
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pop — music
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bound — tied together
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. bound — obliged
  15. track — a song
  16. pop — to visit
  17. swing — music
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. cold — an illness
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. track — to keep track
  23. snap — to click
  24. bound — certain

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