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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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. cue — a hint
  3. drill — army training
  4. suit — to fit
  5. chest — a box
  6. firm — decided
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cue — a signal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. cap — of ice
  11. cap — a lid
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. firm — steady
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cap — a hat
  16. chest — of your body
  17. drill — the tool
  18. firm — a company
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. fork — in a road
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cue — for pool
  23. suit — clothes
  24. vault — a safe

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