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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: perch · rest · vault · club · snap · kid · mark · tube

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. club — a group
  5. vault — a safe
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — for dancing
  8. tube — a container
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. kid — child
  14. mark — a grade
  15. rest — a break
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. mark — a trace
  19. kid — to tease
  20. tube — the underground
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. rest — what's left
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rest — what's left

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