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

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  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. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cue — for pool
  3. wind — moving air
  4. toast — bread
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. vault — a safe
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tube — the underground
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cue — a signal
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. tear — to rip
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cue — a hint
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tube — a container
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  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