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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: track · snap · content · pitcher · cold · cue · bore · vault

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. vault — a safe
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. track — a path
  12. cold — an illness
  13. bore — to drill
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. track — a song
  16. cold — not warm
  17. snap — to click
  18. cue — a hint
  19. content — happy
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cue — for pool
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bore — to tire

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