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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  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. cue — a signal
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of a king
  7. court — of law
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. game — wild animals
  10. root — of a plant
  11. game — a match
  12. vault — a safe
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. cue — a hint
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. root — of a word
  17. root — the cause
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wound — an injury
  23. game — a kind of play
  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