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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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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: bowl · vault · suit · last · game · band · rush · cue

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. cue — a hint
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. game — a match
  6. suit — to fit
  7. band — a ring
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. last — final
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. cue — a signal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. suit — in cards
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. rush — hurry
  19. band — a music group
  20. cue — for pool
  21. last — finally
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. last — to go on
  24. suit — clothes

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