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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. tube — the underground
  6. face — part of the head
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. face — to point toward
  10. mug — a face
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bound — obliged
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mug — a cup
  17. tube — a container
  18. mug — to rob
  19. shower — rain
  20. bound — certain
  21. face — to confront
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bound — tied together

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