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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: stick · cell · nail · vault · chair · sharp · tube · arm

  1. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — in a tire
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cell — in biology
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. tube — a container
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. tube — the underground
  12. chair — a leader
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. cell — a phone
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. vault — a safe
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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