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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. tube — a container
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. ball — a dance
  7. date — the fruit
  8. clip — a video
  9. ball — a great time
  10. kid — to tease
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. vault — a safe
  13. kid — child
  14. mine — for digging
  15. track — a song
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. clip — to cut
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. clip — for paper
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. track — a path
  23. track — to keep track
  24. date — on the calendar

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