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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: tear · squash · scale · straw · vault · cue · rest · kid

  1. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cue — for pool
  3. tear — to rip
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. scale — size or range
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. tear — from crying
  8. cue — a signal
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. rest — what's left
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — a break
  17. tear — from crying
  18. kid — to tease
  19. scale — in music
  20. rest — what's left
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kid — child

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