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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pop · vault · game · cue · hide · mug · row · bat

  1. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. row — to paddle
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. game — a match
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. cue — a signal
  10. row — a line
  11. mug — a cup
  12. cue — a hint
  13. bat — the animal
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. mug — a face
  18. pop — music
  19. mug — to rob
  20. cue — for pool
  21. vault — a safe
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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