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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. mine — for digging
  7. last — finally
  8. tube — the underground
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. last — to go on
  11. tube — a container
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. stock — shares
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bulb — for light
  17. bulb — for light
  18. stock — goods
  19. last — final
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. bulb — of a plant

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