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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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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 · vault · rule · mine · cap · hand · chest · lash

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. rule — government
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. chest — of your body
  8. rule — a law
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. chest — a box
  11. hand — in cards
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. chest — of your body
  14. cap — a hat
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mine — for digging
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. snap — to click
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. hand — part of the body

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