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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. cell — a phone
  6. net — in sport
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cold — an illness
  12. tube — the underground
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. net — after costs
  15. squash — to crush
  16. net — for catching
  17. rule — a law
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. rule — government
  20. cold — not warm
  21. pass — a permit
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. tube — a container
  24. cell — in a prison

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