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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'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. board — a committee
  3. tear — from crying
  4. board — to get on
  5. swing — music
  6. tear — to rip
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. land — a country
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. cap — of ice
  11. land — to come down
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cap — a lid
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. perch — the fish
  18. stock — goods
  19. tear — from crying
  20. swing — in golf
  21. land — ground
  22. stock — shares
  23. vault — a safe
  24. stock — a soup base

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