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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 can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. tube — the underground
  4. ground — crushed
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — an illness
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mate — to breed
  9. cue — a signal
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mate — a partner
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — a container
  15. ground — the earth
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cold — not warm
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. cue — a hint
  23. date — the fruit
  24. cold — the Cold War

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