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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. game — wild animals
  6. squash — to crush
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. vault — a safe
  9. squash — the sport
  10. tube — a container
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. race — the arms race
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. race — a contest
  15. race — humankind
  16. stand — to bear
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. tube — the underground
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. game — a match

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