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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 · vault · rest · drill · saw · fall · trunk · bowl

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fall — to drop
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cue — a hint
  7. cue — a signal
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rest — what's left
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. saw — the tool
  12. rest — a break
  13. fall — the season
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. rest — what's left
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cue — for pool
  20. drill — army training
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fall — to drop
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. drill — a practice

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