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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 120 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 need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. ground — the earth
  3. content — the amount
  4. ground — a position
  5. craft — boats
  6. saw — the tool
  7. vault — a safe
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. content — happy
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. hand — help
  16. tube — the underground
  17. tube — a container
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. craft — a skill
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. hand — in cards
  23. ground — crushed
  24. chair — a leader

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