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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 120 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: snap · trunk · pitch · mine · ball · vault · mark · pound

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. mine — for digging
  8. mark — a grade
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. ball — a dance
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. pound — a weight
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. vault — a safe
  24. ball — a great time

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