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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: cue · wound · chest · wake · snap · vault · ball · chip

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wake — a trail
  7. cue — a signal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. chest — a box
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. chip — for betting
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. vault — a safe
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. snap — to click
  17. ball — a dance
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chest — of your body
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. chip — to eat

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