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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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Word bank
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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: chair · tube · vault · rock · fall · game · key · cue

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. rock — a stone
  3. game — a match
  4. rock — music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. fall — to drop
  7. cue — a signal
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cue — a hint
  12. tube — a container
  13. key — the most important part
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fall — the season
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. chair — a leader
  20. fall — to drop
  21. tube — the underground
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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