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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. file — a tool
  4. rock — a stone
  5. net — after costs
  6. vault — a safe
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a document
  9. net — in sport
  10. hand — in cards
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. tube — the underground
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. board — a committee
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. net — for catching
  17. tube — a container
  18. board — to get on
  19. file — a line of people
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. hand — help
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. rock — to move gently

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