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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. saw — the tool
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — army training
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. content — happy
  10. content — the amount
  11. cap — a hat
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. drill — the tool
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. saw — the tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. season — in sport
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cap — of ice
  23. cap — a lid
  24. leaves — lets stay

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