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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: cold · vault · hand · perch · bay · drill · trunk · cue

  1. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. hand — in cards
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cold — not warm
  5. drill — army training
  6. drill — the tool
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cue — a signal
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. cue — a hint
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. hand — help
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. vault — a safe
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. perch — the fish
  19. cold — an illness
  20. drill — a practice
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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