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

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. race — a contest
  3. deal — to handle
  4. race — humankind
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. net — in sport
  7. race — the arms race
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. net — for catching
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. net — after costs
  13. branch — a division
  14. cue — a hint
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. cue — for pool
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. wind — moving air
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. vault — a safe
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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