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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 would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  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. rest — a break
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a dance
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. pass — a permit
  7. foot — a measure
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — a series
  10. scale — size or range
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. rest — what's left
  13. rest — what's left
  14. tube — a container
  15. vault — a safe
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. ball — a great time
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. rash — hasty
  22. scale — in music
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  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