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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 120 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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. cue — a signal
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cue — for pool
  6. land — a country
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. field — a subject
  9. bore — to tire
  10. field — for sport
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — army training
  13. ball — a great time
  14. drill — the tool
  15. land — ground
  16. field — farmland
  17. drill — a practice
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. land — to come down
  21. cue — a hint
  22. vault — a safe
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. bore — to drill

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