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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: foot · snap · vault · last · sharp · patient · rule · file

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. snap — to click
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — finally
  8. rule — government
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. foot — a measure
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. last — final
  13. vault — a safe
  14. file — a document
  15. rule — a law
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. last — to go on
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. file — a tool
  24. file — a line of people

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