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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. vault — a safe
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. club — for golf
  5. squash — the sport
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cue — a signal
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. club — a group
  15. squash — to crush
  16. club — for dancing
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — hurry
  21. sharp — clever
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. field — for sport
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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