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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. tube — a container
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. vault — a safe
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. present — there
  9. file — a tool
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. present — a gift
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. present — the time now
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. file — a line of people
  19. wax — for sculpting
  20. bear — the animal
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. file — a document
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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