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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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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: straw · swing · foot · fall · present · tube · stock · vault

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. tube — a container
  4. present — there
  5. stock — goods
  6. fall — to drop
  7. present — a gift
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. swing — in golf
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fall — to drop
  15. present — the time now
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. foot — a measure
  18. stock — shares
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. swing — to play on
  22. swing — music
  23. vault — a safe
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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