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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bass — low music
  6. squash — to crush
  7. vault — a safe
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. prune — to trim
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — the underground
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pass — a permit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. squash — the sport
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. hand — help
  23. hand — in cards
  24. pass — to succeed

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