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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: net · bulb · vault · patient · snap · sharp · ruler · race

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. net — for catching
  6. bulb — for light
  7. race — a contest
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. race — the arms race
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. vault — a safe
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. snap — to click
  21. net — after costs
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. sharp — clever
  24. race — humankind

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