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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 116 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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. track — to keep track
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. tube — the underground
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. bat — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. vault — a safe
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. track — a path
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. tube — a container
  24. bat — in an idiom

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