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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: pit · straw · net · prune · vault · snap · wake · cue

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. prune — the fruit
  3. pit — a hole
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. net — in sport
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. prune — to trim
  9. cue — a signal
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. pit — in a race
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. net — for catching
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. vault — a safe
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cue — a hint
  18. wake — a trail
  19. prune — to trim
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. net — after costs
  24. cue — for pool

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