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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. cold — not warm
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. swing — music
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. cue — for pool
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cue — a signal
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. cold — an illness
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kick — in football
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. sharp — clever
  20. swing — in golf
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — a tool
  23. kick — with a leg
  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