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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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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: shower · cue · band · chip · leaves · pitch · court · vault

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. shower — to wash
  3. cue — for pool
  4. cue — a signal
  5. band — a music group
  6. shower — rain
  7. vault — a safe
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. chip — for betting
  10. chip — in a computer
  11. court — of law
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. chip — to eat
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. band — a ring
  17. cue — a hint
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. court — for sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. court — of a king

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