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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 120 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: present · bass · deal · vault · kid · cue · last · bear

  1. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. deal — to handle
  4. present — the time now
  5. last — to go on
  6. bass — the fish
  7. cue — a hint
  8. last — finally
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cue — for pool
  13. cue — a signal
  14. last — final
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. present — there
  17. kid — to tease
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bear — the animal
  22. present — a gift
  23. bass — low music
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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