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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: vault · cue · content · row · rule · pound

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. content — the amount
  3. row — to paddle
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. content — happy
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — government
  9. vault — a safe
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cue — for pool
  12. row — a line
  13. rule — a law
  14. cue — a signal
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pound — to hit hard

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