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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. squash — the sport
  3. pit — in a race
  4. vault — a safe
  5. row — a line
  6. roll — a list
  7. cap — of ice
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. toast — bread
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cap — a lid
  16. pass — a permit
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. row — to paddle
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. squash — to crush
  24. row — a quarrel

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