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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 124 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fall — the season
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. roll — a cake
  8. mate — to breed
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. vault — a safe
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. fall — to drop
  14. foot — a measure
  15. cue — a signal
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wax — to grow
  18. roll — a list
  19. mate — a partner
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. fall — to drop
  23. cue — a hint
  24. foot — the bottom

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