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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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468
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: mate · pop · vault · mug · pass · season · file · snap

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mate — a friend
  13. mug — a face
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a document
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. season — in sport
  21. snap — to click
  22. vault — a safe
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. season — of the year

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