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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. sharp — clever
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. capital — a city
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. cue — a hint
  8. bore — to tire
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bore — to drill
  13. cue — for pool
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. capital — money
  18. vault — a safe
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bore — gave birth
  23. kick — in football
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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