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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. spring — the season
  5. cold — not warm
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. cold — an illness
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. content — happy
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. content — the amount
  14. spring — of water
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bank — for money
  17. cue — a signal
  18. bank — of a river
  19. spring — a coil
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bank — for money
  22. cue — a hint
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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