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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. court — for sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — for pool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. suit — to fit
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. suit — in cards
  11. cue — a signal
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. court — of a king
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. content — the amount
  17. kid — to tease
  18. court — of law
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. suit — clothes
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. content — happy
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. kid — child

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