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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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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: cabinet · tube · content · pit · dip · lean · bat · vault

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. lean — to bend
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. dip — to sink
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. content — happy
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. tube — the underground
  20. vault — a safe
  21. lean — thin
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. tube — a container
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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