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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. toast — bread
  3. cap — of ice
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. cap — a hat
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. track — a path
  15. prune — to trim
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cap — a lid
  22. kid — child
  23. cell — in biology
  24. hide — to keep secret

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