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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: vault · suit · fall · stick · chest · cap · fork · tube

  1. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. suit — in cards
  7. fall — the season
  8. cap — a lid
  9. tube — a container
  10. chest — a box
  11. fall — to drop
  12. fork — in a road
  13. cap — a hat
  14. vault — a safe
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. suit — clothes
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — of your body
  20. fall — to drop
  21. chest — of your body
  22. suit — to fit
  23. tube — the underground
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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