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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: spell · date · pass · tear · snap · vault · rock · foot

  1. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pass — a permit
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. rock — music
  7. spell — letters
  8. snap — to click
  9. spell — a short time
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. date — the fruit
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. spell — magic
  15. rock — a stone
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — a safe
  19. tear — to rip
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. foot — a measure
  24. pass — to succeed

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