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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: hand · present · vault · cue · fork · rock · court · wound

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. cue — a signal
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. court — of a king
  6. fork — in a road
  7. vault — a safe
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rock — a stone
  10. present — the time now
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cue — a hint
  14. cue — for pool
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. present — there
  18. court — of law
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. present — a gift
  21. court — for sport
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. hand — help

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