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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bass — low music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bass — the fish
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pit — a hole
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. craft — a skill
  12. shower — rain
  13. shower — to wash
  14. row — a line
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tube — a container
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. craft — boats
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. vault — a safe
  24. row — to paddle

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