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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 116 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. tube — a container
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. row — a line
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. tube — the underground
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fall — the season
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pass — a permit
  18. fall — to drop
  19. rest — what's left
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bat — the animal
  22. rest — a break
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. fall — to drop

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