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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: coach · snap · face · cue · vault · tube · key · kick

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. face — to confront
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cue — a signal
  5. snap — to click
  6. kick — in football
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. key — the most important part
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. tube — a container
  14. vault — a safe
  15. cue — for pool
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. tube — the underground
  18. face — to point toward
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. key — for a lock
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. key — in music
  24. face — part of the head

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