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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. cap — a hat
  3. pit — a hole
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. vault — a safe
  8. bass — the fish
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. root — of a plant
  14. bass — low music
  15. file — a document
  16. cap — of ice
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. root — the cause
  20. file — a tool
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — for digging
  23. root — of a word
  24. file — a line of people

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