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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: snap · cue · bat · pitcher · vault · bear · mate · wound

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. mate — a partner
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mate — a friend
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mate — to breed
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. bear — the animal
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. snap — to click
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. bear — the animal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. vault — a safe
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wound — an injury
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. wound — an injury
  24. bat — the animal

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