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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. file — a document
  4. tube — the underground
  5. squash — to crush
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. tube — a container
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. prune — to trim
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a tool
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. sharp — clever
  18. vault — a safe
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. kick — in football
  24. prune — to trim

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