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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. tube — the underground
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. bound — obliged
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. row — a line
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bound — certain
  16. vault — a safe
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. pit — in a race
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. row — to paddle
  21. deal — to handle
  22. season — in sport
  23. bound — tied together
  24. season — of the year

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