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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bat · tube · land · vault · toast · rock · jam · pound

  1. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. land — a country
  4. tube — a container
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. toast — bread
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. land — to come down
  10. tube — the underground
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. bat — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. rock — music
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pound — a weight

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