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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. spring — of water
  5. spring — the season
  6. tube — the underground
  7. charge — in control
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tube — a container
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. charge — a price
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spring — a coil
  18. tube — in a 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