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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. cold — not warm
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. cap — a lid
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pound — a weight
  13. hand — help
  14. cold — an illness
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. cap — a hat
  18. mine — for digging
  19. vault — a safe
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. lie — to recline
  23. cap — of ice
  24. pound — to hit hard

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