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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 116 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: bat · mine · cue · rash · lie · vault · wind · dip

  1. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. cue — for pool
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rash — hasty
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. lie — to recline
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. bat — the animal
  21. rash — a series
  22. cue — a hint
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mine — for digging

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