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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 120 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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. pop — music
  3. race — humankind
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cue — a hint
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. wound — an injury
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. race — a contest
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cue — for pool
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. race — the arms race
  24. bowl — to roll

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