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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. land — to come down
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. root — the cause
  5. can — to be able to
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. root — of a word
  9. root — of a plant
  10. tube — a container
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. toast — bread
  13. clip — a video
  14. land — ground
  15. pass — a permit
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. land — a country
  19. clip — to cut
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. can — a tin
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. can — a tin
  24. clip — for paper

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