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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cap — a hat
  3. shower — to wash
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. deal — to handle
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cap — a lid
  9. season — of the year
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — a safe
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. cap — of ice
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. season — in sport
  17. shower — rain
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. snap — to click
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. foot — part of the body

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