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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cue — for pool
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. wound — an injury
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — an injury
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. shower — to wash
  13. cue — a signal
  14. chip — for betting
  15. cue — a hint
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. bear — the animal
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. shower — rain
  24. chip — to eat

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