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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. file — a document
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. chip — to eat
  5. file — a tool
  6. tube — the underground
  7. vault — a safe
  8. lean — to bend
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. spell — magic
  15. spell — letters
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. file — a line of people
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chip — for betting
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. lean — thin

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