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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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. fall — to drop
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mine — for digging
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. rash — hasty
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. vault — a safe
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. cold — not warm
  15. tube — the underground
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. tube — a container
  19. fall — the season
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. dip — to sink
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. rash — a series
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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