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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pop — to visit
  6. wound — an injury
  7. vault — a safe
  8. wound — an injury
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. cap — of ice
  14. net — after costs
  15. band — a music group
  16. date — the fruit
  17. band — a ring
  18. net — in sport
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. net — for catching
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — music
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. date — on the calendar

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