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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 · lean · ruler · date · file · hide · vault · coach

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — a safe
  7. file — a tool
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. date — the fruit
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. lean — thin
  15. file — a document
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. file — a line of people
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. snap — to click
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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