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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. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. stand — to bear
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. tube — the underground
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. scale — size or range
  8. mark — a trace
  9. vault — a safe
  10. scale — in music
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — child
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. kid — to tease
  16. fork — in a road
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. press — newspapers
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. press — to push
  22. mark — a grade
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. press — a publisher

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