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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. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. rest — a break
  3. last — finally
  4. last — to go on
  5. rule — a law
  6. last — final
  7. cue — for pool
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. cue — a signal
  10. spell — magic
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. spell — letters
  13. shower — rain
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rest — what's left
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — government
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. cue — a hint
  23. shower — to wash
  24. rest — what's left

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