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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 want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fall — the season
  3. vault — a safe
  4. content — happy
  5. tube — the underground
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. row — a line
  12. fall — to drop
  13. fall — to drop
  14. rush — hurry
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. content — the amount
  17. deal — to handle
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. row — to paddle
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. deal — an agreement

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