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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. cap — a hat
  3. bass — low music
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. band — a music group
  7. season — of the year
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mark — a grade
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cap — a lid
  12. cap — of ice
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. net — for catching
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. band — a ring
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — in sport
  21. net — after costs
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. net — in sport
  24. patient — a sick person

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