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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  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. rest — what's left
  2. cue — a signal
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bore — to tire
  5. last — to go on
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. bass — low music
  8. bass — the fish
  9. rest — a break
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. clip — a video
  12. last — finally
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — a safe
  16. clip — for paper
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. bore — to drill
  20. last — final
  21. clip — to cut
  22. cue — a hint
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  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