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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. date — the fruit
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. squash — to crush
  7. spring — a coil
  8. squash — the sport
  9. foot — a measure
  10. spring — of water
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. spring — the season
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rule — a law
  16. content — happy
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. rule — government
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cue — for pool
  23. content — the amount
  24. cue — a hint

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