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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. vault — a safe
  3. chest — of your body
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. spell — a short time
  6. tube — a container
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. spell — magic
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — in sport
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. chest — a box
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — letters
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. chest — of your body
  24. saw — the tool

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