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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: net · mate · bat · game · tube · fall · mug · vault

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — wild animals
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. mug — to rob
  5. mate — to breed
  6. net — for catching
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mug — a face
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. tube — the underground
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. fall — to drop
  14. vault — a safe
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. net — in sport
  17. mate — a partner
  18. net — after costs
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. tube — a container
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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