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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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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: vault · wake · rash · dip · mug · pop · board · deal

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. rash — a series
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. mug — a face
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. mug — to rob
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mug — a cup
  14. wake — a trail
  15. board — to get on
  16. pop — to visit
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. pop — music
  19. board — a committee
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — to handle
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — a safe

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