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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cue — a signal
  3. scale — in music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. band — a music group
  7. land — ground
  8. land — to come down
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. bark — to shout
  12. land — a country
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. cue — for pool
  17. cue — a hint
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. band — a ring
  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