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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. fall — to drop
  3. vault — a safe
  4. present — a gift
  5. swing — in golf
  6. tube — a container
  7. present — there
  8. fall — the season
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cap — a lid
  11. cap — of ice
  12. swing — to play on
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. swing — music
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. march — the month
  17. present — the time now
  18. fall — to drop
  19. march — music
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. tube — the underground
  22. object — to protest
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — a thing

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