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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: race · swing · vault · deal · rest · snap · squash · wax

  1. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  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. squash — to crush
  2. snap — to click
  3. race — the arms race
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. swing — to play on
  6. squash — the sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. deal — to handle
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. wax — in the ear
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. race — a contest
  15. swing — music
  16. wax — to grow
  17. race — humankind
  18. vault — a safe
  19. rest — a break
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. swing — in golf
  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