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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: vault · fan · firm · bound · swing · cue · hide · stick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cue — for pool
  4. firm — decided
  5. firm — a company
  6. swing — in golf
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. firm — steady
  11. bound — certain
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. swing — to play on
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. vault — a safe
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. swing — music
  23. bound — obliged
  24. fan — a supporter

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