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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 120 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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mate — a partner
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. stick — to attach or keep to
  10. ball — a great time
  11. mate — to breed
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tube — the underground
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. vault — a safe
  16. wave — with your hand
  17. tube — a container
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ball — a dance
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. mate — a friend
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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