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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.

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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: bowl · snap · rash · hand · pass · saw · mate · vault

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. hand — help
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. rash — hasty
  15. saw — the tool
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rash — a series
  19. saw — the tool
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. mate — a friend
  22. pass — a permit
  23. hand — in cards
  24. mate — to breed

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