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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. season — in sport
  3. tube — a container
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. bulb — for light
  6. tube — the underground
  7. cold — an illness
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mug — a cup
  11. cold — not warm
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. season — of the year
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. bulb — for light
  21. mug — to rob
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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