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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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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: nail · deal · trunk · cold · mate · vault · cue · march

  1. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. march — the month
  3. mate — a friend
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cue — a signal
  7. vault — a safe
  8. march — music
  9. cold — an illness
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. cue — a hint
  17. cold — not warm
  18. march — the month
  19. deal — to handle
  20. cue — for pool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. mate — to breed

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