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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lie — to recline
  4. squash — the sport
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rest — a break
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rest — what's left
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. content — the amount
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — an amount
  13. cap — a lid
  14. content — happy
  15. cap — of ice
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — a safe
  18. degree — temperature
  19. cap — a hat
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. coach — a trainer

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