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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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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: snap · pop · vault · rash · nail · fan · last · court

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. rash — a series
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. last — final
  14. court — of law
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. pop — to visit
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. nail — on a finger

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