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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. chip — to eat
  5. rash — a series
  6. tube — a container
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. tube — the underground
  11. vault — a safe
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rash — hasty
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. chip — for betting
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. cap — a lid
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. coach — a trainer

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