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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. cap — a lid
  3. wound — an injury
  4. cue — a signal
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cue — for pool
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cap — of ice
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fork — in a road
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. band — a ring
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. cap — a hat
  22. band — a music group
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. fork — to eat with

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