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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: vault · kid · present · cue · content · mine · pop · ball

  1. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. cue — for pool
  3. pop — music
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. content — happy
  7. pop — to visit
  8. present — a gift
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. vault — a safe
  11. cue — a hint
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ball — a great time
  15. content — the amount
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kid — child
  19. pop — soda
  20. present — there
  21. kid — to tease
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. cue — a signal

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