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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 120 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rock — a stone
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. tube — a container
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. vault — a safe
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rash — hasty
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. rash — a series
  20. pit — a hole
  21. chair — a leader
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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