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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. swing — music
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. vault — a safe
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. present — the time now
  11. cue — for pool
  12. present — there
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. stem — to come from
  15. cue — a signal
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. shower — rain
  18. wake — a trail
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. shower — to wash
  24. present — a gift

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