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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 · arm · bear · cold · spell · deal · cue · mark

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mark — a trace
  4. spell — magic
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. cold — not warm
  7. vault — a safe
  8. cue — a hint
  9. spell — a short time
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cold — an illness
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — to handle
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bear — the animal
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. spell — letters
  23. bear — the animal
  24. cue — a signal

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