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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. ball — a dance
  3. last — final
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. cap — a hat
  6. band — a ring
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. tear — to rip
  9. vault — a safe
  10. cap — of ice
  11. last — to go on
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a music group
  14. staff — employees
  15. ball — a great time
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. tear — from crying
  18. staff — a stick
  19. tear — from crying
  20. dip — to sink
  21. last — finally
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cap — a lid
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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