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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. vault — a safe
  3. game — a match
  4. game — wild animals
  5. band — a ring
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cue — a signal
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. foot — a measure
  14. roll — a list
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. band — a music group
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. cue — for pool
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. cue — a hint
  22. roll — a cake
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. chest — a box

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