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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: face · cold · bark · scale · spell · rush · vault · cue

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. cue — a signal
  3. scale — in music
  4. cue — for pool
  5. rush — hurry
  6. face — part of the head
  7. bark — to shout
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cold — the Cold War
  11. face — to confront
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cue — a hint
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cold — an illness
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. rush — to hurry
  18. spell — a short time
  19. face — to point toward
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. scale — size or range
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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