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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. chest — of your body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. vault — a safe
  9. tube — a container
  10. bear — the animal
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. bulb — for light
  16. tube — the underground
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. capital — a city
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bulb — for light
  22. chest — a box
  23. bear — the animal
  24. capital — money

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