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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. kid — to tease
  4. vault — a safe
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. tube — a container
  7. cold — an illness
  8. cap — a hat
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. tube — the underground
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. cap — a lid
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. press — newspapers
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. press — a publisher
  19. press — to push
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. cold — not warm
  24. pass — a permit

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