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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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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: mate · vault · track · ruler · season · ground · snap · spring

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ground — crushed
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mate — to breed
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. track — to keep track
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mate — a partner
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. track — a path
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. ground — a position
  13. season — of the year
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. spring — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. snap — to click
  19. spring — the season
  20. spring — a coil
  21. season — in sport
  22. track — a song
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ruler — a monarch

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