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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. roll — a cake
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. cue — a hint
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. degree — temperature
  13. degree — from a university
  14. mark — a grade
  15. cue — for pool
  16. mark — a trace
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. field — farmland
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. roll — a list
  23. field — for sport
  24. field — a subject

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