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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. vault — a safe
  3. cap — a hat
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. shower — to wash
  9. spell — a short time
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. stock — goods
  13. spell — magic
  14. spell — letters
  15. shower — rain
  16. cell — in biology
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cap — of ice
  23. wake — a trail
  24. stock — shares

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