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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: snap · ground · squash · scale · spring · vault · board · rule

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. snap — to click
  4. ground — a position
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. spring — the season
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. spring — a coil
  10. squash — the sport
  11. board — a committee
  12. ground — crushed
  13. scale — in music
  14. squash — to crush
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rule — a law
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. ground — the earth
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spring — of water
  24. board — to get on

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