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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. club — for dancing
  4. squash — the sport
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — of ice
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. wax — for sculpting
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. kid — to tease
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. club — a group
  15. club — for golf
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. wax — to grow
  18. squash — to crush
  19. kid — child
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. perch — the fish
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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