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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. tube — the underground
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. cue — a hint
  10. shower — rain
  11. cue — for pool
  12. mine — for digging
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cue — a signal
  16. row — to paddle
  17. tear — from crying
  18. tear — to rip
  19. fine — high quality
  20. vault — a safe
  21. row — a line
  22. shower — to wash
  23. tear — from crying
  24. fine — all right

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