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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. staff — employees
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. dip — to sink
  11. game — wild animals
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. staff — employees
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. staff — a stick
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. game — a match
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. tube — a container

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