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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. degree — an amount
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. cue — a hint
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. mine — for digging
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. cue — for pool
  12. hand — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. stem — to come from
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. degree — from a university
  19. vault — a safe
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. hand — help
  22. degree — temperature
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. cue — a signal

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