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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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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 · racket · march · ball · cue · straw · squash · date

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. date — the fruit
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. ball — a great time
  5. ball — a dance
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. cue — a hint
  8. squash — to crush
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. vault — a safe
  14. march — the month
  15. cue — a signal
  16. march — music
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cue — for pool
  23. march — the month
  24. squash — the sport

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