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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: bore · track · vault · cue · net · shower · sharp · board

  1. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. board — a flat piece
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. cue — a signal
  4. cue — for pool
  5. bore — to drill
  6. net — in sport
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. cue — a hint
  9. track — a path
  10. net — for catching
  11. bore — to tire
  12. shower — to wash
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. board — to get on
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. shower — rain
  22. net — after costs
  23. board — a committee
  24. sharp — clever

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