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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. vault — a safe
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — an injury
  9. wind — moving air
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lie — to recline
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. cap — a lid
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. tube — the underground
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. wind — moving air
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. perch — the fish
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wound — an injury
  23. tube — a container
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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