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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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. firm — decided
  4. field — a subject
  5. cue — a hint
  6. field — farmland
  7. snap — to click
  8. content — happy
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. firm — steady
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. cue — for pool
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. firm — a company
  15. saw — the tool
  16. field — for sport
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. vault — a safe
  19. content — the amount
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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