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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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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: cold · cue · band · mark · vault · season · mate · shower

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. shower — rain
  3. mate — to breed
  4. season — of the year
  5. mark — a trace
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. cold — an illness
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cue — a signal
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. mark — a grade
  13. shower — to wash
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. cue — for pool
  16. band — a music group
  17. season — in sport
  18. mate — a partner
  19. band — a ring
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. cold — not warm
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cue — a hint
  24. cold — the Cold War

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