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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 120 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: cell · court · mate · tear · vault · stick · cue · stock

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. tear — from crying
  3. tear — to rip
  4. cue — a hint
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. cell — in biology
  9. tear — from crying
  10. vault — a safe
  11. mate — to breed
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stock — shares
  14. court — for sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — goods
  20. cell — a phone
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. court — of a king
  24. mate — a friend

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