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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. vault — a safe
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. kick — in football
  16. cap — a lid
  17. cap — of ice
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. wind — moving air
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. wind — moving air
  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