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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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. scale — in music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cue — for pool
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. spell — a short time
  9. scale — size or range
  10. spell — letters
  11. spell — magic
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rush — hurry
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. cue — a hint
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. nail — for a hammer

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