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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: race · vault · fork · tube · chip · stick · straw · mark

  1. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. tube — a container
  3. mark — a grade
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. mark — a trace
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. chip — for betting
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. tube — the underground
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. race — the arms race
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. vault — a safe
  17. race — humankind
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chip — to eat
  20. fork — in a road
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. tube — in a tire

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