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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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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: cue · vault · court · key · stock · rush · wax · rule

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wax — for sculpting
  5. rule — a law
  6. vault — a safe
  7. wax — in the ear
  8. cue — a hint
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. key — in music
  11. stock — shares
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. wax — to grow
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cue — for pool
  18. cue — a signal
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — goods
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rule — government
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — of law

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