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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. scale — size or range
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mate — to breed
  5. vault — a safe
  6. key — for a lock
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. mate — a partner
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bat — the animal
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. scale — in music
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. wax — for sculpting
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — to grow
  21. saw — the tool
  22. key — in music
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. bat — for baseball

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