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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. When was this ________________ built?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. game — a match
  5. chest — of your body
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. fall — the season
  9. chest — of your body
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. cap — a lid
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chest — a box
  15. cap — of ice
  16. fall — to drop
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. capital — a city
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. vault — a safe
  21. capital — money
  22. game — wild animals
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fall — to drop

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