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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 · hand · chip · kick · pass · bat · stem · vault

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chip — for betting
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stem — a stem cell
  6. kick — in football
  7. chip — to eat
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. snap — to click
  10. pass — a permit
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. stem — to come from
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — help
  24. vault — a safe

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