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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. season — of the year
  6. root — of a plant
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. game — a match
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hand — help
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — in cards
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lie — to recline
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. root — the cause
  17. season — in sport
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. content — happy
  20. root — of a word
  21. tube — the underground
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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