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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bass — low music
  4. fork — in a road
  5. fall — to drop
  6. vault — a safe
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. tube — the underground
  10. bass — the fish
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. staff — a stick
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. tube — a container
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. staff — employees
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. staff — employees
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. fall — the season

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