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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. ball — a dance
  4. wake — a trail
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. tube — the underground
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. tube — a container
  15. wound — an injury
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wind — moving air
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ball — a great time
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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