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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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. cue — a hint
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. deal — to handle
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. present — a gift
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — rain
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. fall — to drop
  14. present — there
  15. cue — for pool
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. vault — a safe
  19. present — the time now
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. mine — for digging
  23. cue — a signal
  24. fall — the season

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