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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: ball · wound · snap · cue · safe · wind · vault · season

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. cue — a signal
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. wind — moving air
  8. cue — a hint
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. wound — an injury
  12. wind — moving air
  13. ball — a great time
  14. season — of the year
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. ball — a dance
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. vault — a safe
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. cue — for pool
  22. season — in sport
  23. snap — to click
  24. wound — an injury

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