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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 116 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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. craft — boats
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. band — a ring
  10. band — a music group
  11. ground — a position
  12. ball — a dance
  13. craft — a skill
  14. vault — a safe
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pit — in a race
  18. ground — the earth
  19. ground — crushed
  20. perch — the fish
  21. tube — a container
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. pit — a hole

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