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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. club — for dancing
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. last — to go on
  6. cap — a lid
  7. club — a group
  8. last — finally
  9. last — final
  10. club — for golf
  11. cue — a signal
  12. spell — magic
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. spell — letters
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. cap — a hat
  18. swing — music
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spell — a short time
  23. vault — a safe
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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