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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. bass — the fish
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. fine — all right
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bass — low music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. cue — for pool
  11. rock — music
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fine — high quality
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mine — for digging
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bear — the animal

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