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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. When was this ________________ built?
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. chest — of your body
  3. vault — a safe
  4. track — to keep track
  5. chest — a box
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. hand — help
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. track — a path
  10. pop — to visit
  11. net — for catching
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — the underground
  14. net — in sport
  15. chest — of your body
  16. track — a song
  17. pop — music
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. net — after costs
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. tube — a container
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. temple — side of the head

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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