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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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lean — thin
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. land — ground
  6. swing — music
  7. face — part of the head
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. land — to come down
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — to point toward
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. vault — a safe
  14. press — newspapers
  15. lean — to bend
  16. tube — the underground
  17. press — to push
  18. swing — to play on
  19. press — a publisher
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. tube — a container
  23. land — a country
  24. swing — in golf

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