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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. cold — not warm
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. present — the time now
  7. tube — the underground
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. mate — a partner
  10. bound — tied together
  11. tube — a container
  12. cold — an illness
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bound — obliged
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. kick — in football
  18. mate — to breed
  19. vault — a safe
  20. present — a gift
  21. pitch — completely
  22. bound — certain
  23. mate — a friend
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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