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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 120 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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. last — finally
  3. last — to go on
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. cue — a hint
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. mark — a grade
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cue — a signal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. content — happy
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. cue — for pool
  17. mark — a trace
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. pitch — completely
  20. last — final
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. vault — a safe
  23. rock — music
  24. fork — to eat with

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