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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. roll — a cake
  3. chip — to eat
  4. cap — a lid
  5. squash — to crush
  6. roll — a list
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. squash — the sport
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. rest — a break
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rest — what's left
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — to trim
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rest — what's left
  18. vault — a safe
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. cap — of ice
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. chip — for betting

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