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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. sharp — clever
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. cap — a lid
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. band — a music group
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. charge — in control
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. charge — electricity
  15. charge — a price
  16. cap — of ice
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. shower — to wash
  19. band — a ring
  20. dip — to sink
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. shower — rain
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cap — a hat

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