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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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. swing — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. staff — employees
  9. tube — the underground
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. tube — a container
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. swing — in golf
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. swing — to play on
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. staff — a stick

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