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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: snap · board · vault · rash · key · cap · file · wind

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. file — a document
  4. key — in music
  5. key — for a lock
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cap — a hat
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. cap — a lid
  10. rash — a series
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. file — a tool
  13. wind — moving air
  14. vault — a safe
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — a committee
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. file — a line of people
  20. cap — of ice
  21. key — the most important part
  22. rash — hasty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. wind — moving air

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