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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. vault — a safe
  4. cue — for pool
  5. degree — an amount
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cue — a signal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. band — a music group
  10. band — a ring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. degree — from a university
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. cue — a hint
  19. shower — to wash
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. shower — rain
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. hide — to keep secret

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