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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 116 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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cue — a signal
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. spell — magic
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. present — a gift
  9. spell — letters
  10. march — the month
  11. present — there
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. march — the month
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. band — a ring
  16. march — music
  17. present — the time now
  18. band — a music group
  19. cue — a hint
  20. dip — to sink
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. spell — a short time

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