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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. tube — a container
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chair — a leader
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. last — final
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bowl — to roll

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