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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 116 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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. club — a group
  3. march — the month
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. net — in sport
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. club — for golf
  9. march — music
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. net — for catching
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pitch — completely
  15. club — for dancing
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. cap — of ice
  18. board — to get on
  19. cap — a lid
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. board — a committee
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. hide — animal skin

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