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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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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 · leaves · vault · cue · face · bound · last · swing

  1. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. bound — obliged
  4. swing — music
  5. cue — a hint
  6. cold — not warm
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. swing — to play on
  10. cue — a signal
  11. cue — for pool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bound — certain
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. cold — an illness
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. face — part of the head
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. bound — tied together
  23. swing — in golf
  24. last — finally

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