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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  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. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — the fish
  3. bass — low music
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. mine — for digging
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. kick — in football
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. cue — a signal
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cue — for pool
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. capital — money
  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