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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — in sport
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. season — of the year
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. content — happy
  10. vault — a safe
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rest — a break
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rest — what's left
  19. content — the amount
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. squash — to crush
  22. cap — a hat
  23. rest — what's left
  24. bass — the fish

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