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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 116 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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. cue — a signal
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. suit — to fit
  6. cue — a hint
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. band — a ring
  9. swing — music
  10. swing — in golf
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. last — to go on
  13. plane — a tool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. vault — a safe
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. cue — for pool
  20. last — final
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. band — a music group
  24. swing — to play on

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