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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. squash — to crush
  3. present — there
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cue — a signal
  6. mark — a grade
  7. last — to go on
  8. present — the time now
  9. squash — the sport
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. cue — for pool
  12. track — to keep track
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. vault — a safe
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. present — a gift
  19. track — a song
  20. last — final
  21. cue — a hint
  22. mark — a trace
  23. rush — hurry
  24. last — finally

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