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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. spring — of water
  3. hand — help
  4. spring — a coil
  5. present — a gift
  6. tube — the underground
  7. rock — a stone
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. spring — the season
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — a safe
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. present — the time now
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. hand — in cards
  17. tube — a container
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. present — there
  20. rock — music
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — to recline
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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