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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. dip — to sink
  4. land — to come down
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. spring — the season
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. spring — a coil
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — wild animals
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cue — for pool
  18. game — a match
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. land — ground
  21. land — a country
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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