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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. shower — to wash
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. pitch — completely
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. cap — a lid
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. wind — moving air
  14. staff — employees
  15. bank — of a river
  16. shower — rain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. staff — a stick
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cap — a hat
  23. kid — child
  24. cap — of ice

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