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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: squash · court · pitcher · tube · mark · vault · wind · cue

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cue — for pool
  4. tube — a container
  5. squash — to crush
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cue — a signal
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. court — for sport
  11. cue — a hint
  12. wind — moving air
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mark — a grade
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. mark — a trace
  19. tube — the underground
  20. squash — the sport
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. court — of law

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