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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spring — the season
  4. charge — electricity
  5. mug — to rob
  6. field — farmland
  7. race — humankind
  8. charge — a price
  9. race — a contest
  10. cue — a signal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. field — for sport
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. charge — in control
  16. spring — of water
  17. spring — a coil
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. cue — a hint
  20. field — a subject
  21. vault — a safe
  22. mug — a cup
  23. race — the arms race
  24. mug — a face

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