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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 116 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: firm · vault · cue · wax · pitcher · last · mug · ball

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. mug — to rob
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cue — for pool
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. wax — to grow
  7. cue — a hint
  8. firm — a company
  9. firm — steady
  10. ball — a great time
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. last — finally
  13. ball — a dance
  14. mug — a cup
  15. vault — a safe
  16. last — to go on
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. last — final
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. firm — decided
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. mug — a face
  23. cue — a signal
  24. pitcher — a jug

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