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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 is an ace ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. cap — a hat
  3. cap — of ice
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — the tool
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. face — to point toward
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. current — of water
  13. toast — bread
  14. current — electric
  15. current — happening now
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. face — part of the head
  19. cap — a lid
  20. face — to confront
  21. vault — a safe
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. toast — the most admired

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