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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: cue · bore · vault · cap · last · land · wound · pass

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. last — to go on
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cap — a hat
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bore — to tire
  8. last — final
  9. pass — a permit
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. land — to come down
  15. cap — of ice
  16. land — ground
  17. last — finally
  18. wound — an injury
  19. vault — a safe
  20. land — a country
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. cue — a signal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. cap — a lid

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