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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: sharp · fine · trunk · spell · season · cue · shower · vault

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. spell — letters
  3. fine — all right
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. shower — rain
  6. season — in sport
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. fine — high quality
  9. sharp — clever
  10. shower — to wash
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. vault — a safe
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. cue — for pool
  19. cue — a signal
  20. season — of the year
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. spell — magic
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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