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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. cap — a lid
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. last — final
  9. toast — bread
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cap — a hat
  12. last — finally
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — a match
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. rush — hurry
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. last — to go on
  21. pit — in a race
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. vault — a safe

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