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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: straw · bat · deal · leaves · file · snap · dip · vault

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to click
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. file — a tool
  6. vault — a safe
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. bat — the animal
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. dip — to sink
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. deal — to handle
  24. file — a document

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