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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: vault · lie · mouse · last · shower · net · cue · bark

  1. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cue — a signal
  3. last — to go on
  4. cue — a hint
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. bark — to shout
  7. net — in sport
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. net — after costs
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. net — for catching
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. cue — for pool
  14. lie — to recline
  15. shower — to wash
  16. shower — rain
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. last — final
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. last — finally
  23. vault — a safe
  24. bark — of a tree

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