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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 · cell · stick · object · tube · shower · pit · date

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. pit — in a race
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. object — to protest
  7. cell — in biology
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. bay — to keep at bay
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. pit — a hole
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. date — the fruit
  18. shower — to wash
  19. object — an aim
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. tube — a container

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