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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: cold · saw · cue · vault · mug · rock · land · season

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. season — of the year
  3. land — a country
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. cue — for pool
  6. cold — not warm
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. cue — a signal
  9. cue — a hint
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. season — in sport
  14. saw — the tool
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — to come down
  18. land — ground
  19. saw — the tool
  20. cold — an illness
  21. mug — to rob
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — music
  24. mug — a cup

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