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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: vault · straw · rest · fine · mine · mouse · chest · cue

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cue — a signal
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cue — a hint
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fine — high quality
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. fine — all right
  15. rest — a break
  16. chest — of your body
  17. cue — for pool
  18. chest — a box
  19. rest — what's left
  20. mine — for digging
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. mouse — the animal

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