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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 120 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. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. court — for sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. vault — a safe
  5. net — in sport
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — what's left
  8. root — the cause
  9. cue — for pool
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. net — for catching
  12. root — of a word
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. shower — rain
  19. rest — a break
  20. cue — a hint
  21. root — of a plant
  22. shower — to wash
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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