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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: vault · kick · racket · roll · face · ground · firm · snap

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. firm — steady
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. face — to confront
  8. ground — a position
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. roll — a list
  11. ground — crushed
  12. kick — in football
  13. firm — decided
  14. vault — a safe
  15. face — part of the head
  16. snap — to click
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. ground — the earth
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. face — to point toward
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. firm — a company
  24. roll — on a roll

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