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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 116 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: ball · snap · vault · game · fan · race · club · plane

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  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. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. game — a match
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to click
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. vault — a safe
  8. club — for golf
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. race — the arms race
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. race — a contest
  16. club — for dancing
  17. ball — a dance
  18. race — humankind
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. club — a group
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. plane — a tool
  23. ball — a great time
  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