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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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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: cap · foot · snap · vault · track · mate · deal · prune

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. snap — to click
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. vault — a safe
  7. prune — to trim
  8. prune — to trim
  9. deal — to handle
  10. track — a song
  11. mate — a friend
  12. cap — of ice
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — to breed
  17. cap — a hat
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cap — a lid
  21. track — a path
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. track — to keep track

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