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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — in music
  3. tube — a container
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cold — an illness
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. suit — to fit
  9. suit — clothes
  10. rest — a break
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. rash — a series
  14. rest — what's left
  15. club — for golf
  16. tube — the underground
  17. rest — what's left
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. rash — hasty
  20. suit — in cards
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. club — a group
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cold — not warm

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