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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: cabinet · cue · foot · leaves · chair · mate · vault · field

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. field — for sport
  4. mate — a friend
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. mate — to breed
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. chair — a leader
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. cue — for pool
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. cue — a hint
  15. vault — a safe
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. field — a subject
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cue — a signal
  23. mate — a partner
  24. field — farmland

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