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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. last — to go on
  3. vault — a safe
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. present — there
  7. present — a gift
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. can — to be able to
  12. can — a tin
  13. can — a tin
  14. tube — the underground
  15. present — the time now
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. shower — rain
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. shower — to wash

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