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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cue — a signal
  4. spring — the season
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — an illness
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. cue — a hint
  9. suit — to fit
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cue — for pool
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. suit — in cards
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. suit — clothes
  21. spring — of water
  22. hand — help
  23. race — the arms race
  24. vault — a safe

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