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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: bay · current · rest · bat · spell · vault · tube · pound

  1. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — a container
  2. bat — the animal
  3. spell — a short time
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. spell — letters
  8. rest — what's left
  9. tube — the underground
  10. current — electric
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. spell — magic
  16. current — of water
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rest — a break
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. pound — a weight
  22. current — happening now
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rest — what's left

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