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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  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. tube — a container
  2. net — in sport
  3. file — a line of people
  4. roll — a cake
  5. object — to protest
  6. file — a tool
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. roll — a list
  11. file — a document
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. net — for catching
  17. vault — a safe
  18. object — an aim
  19. tube — the underground
  20. net — after costs
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. object — a thing
  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