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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 120 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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mug — a cup
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. hand — in cards
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. bank — of a river
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. mine — for digging
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mug — a face
  17. content — happy
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mug — to rob
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. plane — a tool
  23. vault — a safe
  24. hand — help

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