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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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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: wave · cap · cell · cue · ground · mug · vault · straw

  1. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ground — a position
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cell — a phone
  6. cue — a hint
  7. mug — to rob
  8. mug — a cup
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. ground — crushed
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. ground — the earth
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. mug — a face
  18. cue — for pool
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cap — a lid
  22. cell — in biology
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cap — of ice

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