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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. tube — a container
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. tube — the underground
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. press — to push
  13. press — a publisher
  14. swing — music
  15. vault — a safe
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. swing — in golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. swing — to play on
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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