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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. rock — music
  10. bank — for money
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. cap — a lid
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bank — for money
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. wind — moving air
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. pit — in a race
  22. cold — an illness
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pit — a hole

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