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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 116 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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. swing — to play on
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. tube — a container
  9. lie — to recline
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. swing — in golf
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. club — for golf
  16. can — a tin
  17. fork — in a road
  18. can — to be able to
  19. can — a tin
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. swing — music
  24. fork — a garden tool

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