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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. tear — to rip
  5. charge — a price
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. charge — electricity
  8. cell — a phone
  9. charge — in control
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. cold — an illness
  14. swing — in golf
  15. tube — the underground
  16. swing — music
  17. vault — a safe
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. swing — to play on
  21. cell — in biology
  22. tear — from crying
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — a container

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