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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: deal · mug · snap · fork · vault · bat · ground · cap

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — the animal
  5. ground — the earth
  6. cap — a hat
  7. mug — a face
  8. cap — a lid
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. ground — crushed
  12. ground — a position
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. mug — to rob
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cap — of ice
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. mug — a cup
  24. bat — for baseball

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