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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. mate — a friend
  5. band — a ring
  6. cue — a signal
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. capital — a city
  9. cell — in biology
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. mate — to breed
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. shower — rain
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. shower — to wash
  19. dip — to sink
  20. vault — a safe
  21. capital — money
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mate — a partner

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