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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a hat
  4. land — a country
  5. last — to go on
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. patient — calm and waiting
  8. court — of law
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cap — a lid
  13. land — to come down
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. land — ground
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. ball — a great time
  22. last — final
  23. ball — a dance
  24. last — finally

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