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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: ball · vault · track · tube · lie · shower · content · present

  1. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. track — to keep track
  4. track — a path
  5. present — the time now
  6. shower — to wash
  7. present — there
  8. track — a song
  9. shower — rain
  10. content — happy
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — a container
  13. ball — a dance
  14. tube — the underground
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. present — a gift
  17. content — the amount
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. lie — to recline
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. ball — a great time
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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