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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: game · vault · track · ball · tube · spring · snap · last

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. game — a match
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spring — the season
  5. last — to go on
  6. ball — a dance
  7. vault — a safe
  8. tube — the underground
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. last — finally
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. tube — a container
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. game — wild animals
  17. track — a path
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. track — to keep track
  20. snap — to click
  21. spring — of water
  22. spring — a coil
  23. last — final
  24. ball — a great time

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