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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. vault — a safe
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cue — for pool
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cue — a signal
  7. lean — thin
  8. fine — high quality
  9. root — of a word
  10. fine — all right
  11. lean — to bend
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. root — of a plant
  15. root — the cause
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring

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