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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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. fork — to eat with
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. cue — for pool
  4. march — the month
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. court — of a king
  8. pit — in a race
  9. march — music
  10. fork — in a road
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. lash — a whip stroke
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. march — the month
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. pit — a hole
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. cue — a signal
  23. vault — a safe
  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