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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. row — to paddle
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — the most important part
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. key — in music
  13. rock — music
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. cue — a signal
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. saw — the tool
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rock — a stone
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. row — a line
  23. wake — a trail
  24. cue — for pool

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