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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. tube — a container
  5. cue — a hint
  6. last — finally
  7. march — music
  8. mark — a grade
  9. shower — rain
  10. last — to go on
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. march — the month
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. shower — to wash
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. cue — for pool
  19. tube — the underground
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. last — final
  22. march — the month
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mark — a trace

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