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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. season — of the year
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. lean — to bend
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. chip — to eat
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. vault — a safe
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. tube — a container
  17. wound — an injury
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — for betting
  20. season — in sport
  21. lean — thin
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wound — an injury
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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