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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. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. cell — a phone
  3. bank — of a river
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. kid — to tease
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tube — the underground
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bank — for money
  14. kid — child
  15. tube — a container
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. cell — in biology
  19. vault — a safe
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bank — for money
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. bat — for baseball

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