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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: roll · bat · vault · dip · lie · face · tube · fan

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. face — to confront
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. roll — a cake
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. face — to point toward
  7. dip — to sink
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. tube — the underground
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. face — part of the head
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. vault — a safe
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. lie — to recline
  19. tube — a container
  20. bat — the animal
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. lie — an untruth

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