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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: mouse · cue · file · snap · wake · vault · stock · pound

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wake — before a funeral
  3. cue — a signal
  4. snap — to click
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. file — a tool
  8. stock — goods
  9. vault — a safe
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. file — a document
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — shares
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — a hint
  20. pound — a weight
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. cue — for pool
  24. wake — a trail

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