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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. dip — to sink
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. spring — of water
  10. cue — for pool
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. spring — a coil
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mine — for digging
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. cue — a hint
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. spring — the season
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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