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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. cap — a lid
  4. club — for golf
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. spell — letters
  7. lie — to recline
  8. club — a group
  9. shower — to wash
  10. season — in sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. spell — magic
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. club — for dancing
  15. season — of the year
  16. vault — a safe
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. spell — a short time
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. cap — a hat
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — dry grass

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