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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. pass — a permit
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. kid — child
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. vault — a safe
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cold — not warm
  12. can — a tin
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. fork — in a road
  16. kid — to tease
  17. cold — an illness
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. cap — a lid
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. can — a tin
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bass — low music

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