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

Word bank: tube · kick · rock · fan · fall · bat · vault · deal

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. tube — a container
  3. rock — music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. deal — to handle
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. fall — to drop
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. rock — a stone
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. fall — to drop
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. fall — the season
  23. kick — in football
  24. bat — the animal

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