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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. tube — the underground
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. object — to protest
  6. tube — a container
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. dip — to sink
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. cold — an illness
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. object — a thing
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. ground — crushed
  20. vault — a safe
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. object — an aim
  23. bore — to drill
  24. bore — to tire

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