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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. ground — crushed
  3. last — finally
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. last — final
  7. cue — a signal
  8. board — to get on
  9. ground — a position
  10. sharp — clever
  11. vault — a safe
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — of law
  15. court — for sport
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. cue — for pool
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. ground — the earth
  22. court — of a king
  23. last — to go on
  24. board — a committee

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