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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 120 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.

Words on the sheet
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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: charge · pop · vault · season · band · rock · chest · snap

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — of your body
  3. snap — to click
  4. charge — a price
  5. band — a ring
  6. charge — electricity
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. chest — of your body
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — a safe
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. rock — music
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. season — in sport
  15. rock — a stone
  16. chest — a box
  17. pop — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. charge — in control
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. band — a music group
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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