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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. tube — the underground
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. wake — a trail
  5. march — the month
  6. tube — a container
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. rock — a stone
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — a safe
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. march — music
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rock — music
  18. rush — hurry
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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