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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. cue — a signal
  3. scale — size or range
  4. spell — magic
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. season — of the year
  8. vault — a safe
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. wound — an injury
  13. file — a document
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. spell — letters
  18. cue — for pool
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. spell — a short time
  21. file — a line of people
  22. season — in sport
  23. cue — a hint
  24. scale — in music

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