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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 120 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: rest · cold · stand · cue · pop · last · vault · leaves

  1. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — for pool
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. stand — to bear
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rest — what's left
  7. last — final
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. rest — a break
  12. last — to go on
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. cold — not warm
  17. last — finally
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. pop — music
  20. cue — a hint
  21. cold — an illness
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cue — a signal
  24. vault — a safe

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