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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. dip — to sink
  6. land — a country
  7. cap — of ice
  8. wind — moving air
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. content — happy
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. vault — a safe
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. content — the amount
  17. land — to come down
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. land — ground
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. cap — a lid

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