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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 120 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: stand · snap · craft · vault · stick · chair · squash · rush

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. squash — to crush
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. rush — hurry
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. snap — to click
  8. vault — a safe
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. craft — a skill
  11. stand — to bear
  12. squash — the sport
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. craft — boats
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. chair — a leader
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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