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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. net — after costs
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ball — a great time
  5. net — in sport
  6. tube — the underground
  7. wind — moving air
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. cap — a hat
  10. net — for catching
  11. mark — a trace
  12. mark — a grade
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. cap — a lid
  15. object — an aim
  16. object — a thing
  17. vault — a safe
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. tube — a container
  20. cap — of ice
  21. wind — moving air
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. ball — a dance
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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