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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. squash — to crush
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. squash — the sport
  5. tube — the underground
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. net — in sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. tube — a container
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. net — for catching
  15. net — after costs
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. tube — in a tire

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