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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 116 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 need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. drill — the tool
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pitch — completely
  5. sharp — clever
  6. drill — army training
  7. staff — employees
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cap — a lid
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. staff — employees
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. cap — of ice
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cue — a signal
  16. vault — a safe
  17. cue — for pool
  18. field — a subject
  19. field — for sport
  20. drill — a practice
  21. field — farmland
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. cue — a hint
  24. staff — a stick

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