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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. mate — a friend
  5. craft — boats
  6. snap — to click
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. chest — of your body
  9. mate — to breed
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chest — a box
  13. tube — the underground
  14. craft — a skill
  15. chest — of your body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mate — a partner
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. file — a line of people

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