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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. tear — from crying
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. bound — certain
  7. spring — of water
  8. scale — size or range
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bound — obliged
  12. cue — a hint
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. scale — in music
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spring — the season
  18. sharp — clever
  19. cue — a signal
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. spring — a coil
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. tear — to rip
  24. leaves — of a tree

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