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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: nail · rule · snap · drill · ground · kid · vault · fine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rule — government
  5. drill — army training
  6. kid — to tease
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ground — a position
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. drill — a practice
  11. fine — all right
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fine — high quality
  15. kid — child
  16. rule — a law
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. ground — crushed

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