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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 116 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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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: march · vault · chair · tube · shower · cell · track · present

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. march — the month
  5. track — to keep track
  6. tube — the underground
  7. shower — rain
  8. present — a gift
  9. tube — a container
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. vault — a safe
  12. present — there
  13. march — the month
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. cell — in biology
  16. track — a song
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. march — music
  19. shower — to wash
  20. chair — a leader
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. present — the time now

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