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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: wake · cue · degree · tear · vault · court · fan · bay

  1. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  2. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a signal
  2. bay — to keep at bay
  3. tear — from crying
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. degree — from a university
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. cue — for pool
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. court — for sport
  10. wake — a trail
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cue — a hint
  13. degree — temperature
  14. court — of a king
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. tear — from crying
  19. court — of law
  20. tear — to rip
  21. vault — a safe
  22. degree — an amount
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. fan — a supporter

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