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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. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. net — for catching
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. ground — the earth
  5. court — for sport
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. ground — crushed
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. net — after costs
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. vault — a safe
  15. ground — a position
  16. net — in sport
  17. saw — the tool
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. tube — the underground
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. saw — the tool

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