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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. land — a country
  3. current — happening now
  4. kid — child
  5. land — ground
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. kid — to tease
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. current — of water
  12. rock — music
  13. current — electric
  14. cap — a lid
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. land — to come down
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cap — of ice
  19. bat — the animal
  20. race — a contest
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. race — humankind
  23. rock — a stone
  24. race — the arms race

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