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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 · wave · land · roll · vault · fine · game · face

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. face — to confront
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. vault — a safe
  6. land — to come down
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. face — to point toward
  10. roll — a cake
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — a country
  15. roll — a list
  16. land — ground
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. game — wild animals
  19. face — part of the head
  20. game — a match
  21. fine — all right
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. fine — a penalty

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