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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. band — a ring
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — finally
  5. band — a music group
  6. net — for catching
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pitch — completely
  9. cue — for pool
  10. net — after costs
  11. last — final
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. current — of water
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. last — to go on
  17. current — happening now
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cue — a signal
  20. current — electric
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. fine — all right
  24. net — in sport

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