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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — a safe
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. band — a music group
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. band — a ring
  11. spell — magic
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. spell — a short time
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — the underground
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. foot — a measure
  24. spell — letters

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