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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 124 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. can — a tin
  3. shower — to wash
  4. spring — the season
  5. vault — a safe
  6. tube — a container
  7. shower — rain
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. key — the most important part
  10. can — a tin
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. tube — the underground
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. key — in music
  16. roll — a cake
  17. key — for a lock
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. spring — a coil
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. spring — of water

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