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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cap — a hat
  6. face — to confront
  7. saw — the tool
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. cap — of ice
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. club — for golf
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. face — part of the head
  17. cap — a lid
  18. face — to point toward
  19. wind — moving air
  20. spell — a short time
  21. saw — the tool
  22. stand — to bear
  23. spell — letters
  24. wind — moving air

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