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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: vault · chest · mark · sharp · ruler · cold · tube · mate

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. vault — a safe
  4. mark — a grade
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. mate — a friend
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. sharp — clever
  10. chest — a box
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. cold — not warm
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. tube — a container
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. cold — an illness
  19. tube — the underground
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. chest — of your body
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. chest — of your body

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