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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 116 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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. mug — a face
  3. mug — a cup
  4. bass — the fish
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. drill — army training
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. mug — to rob
  10. drill — the tool
  11. vault — a safe
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. drill — a practice
  15. cap — a hat
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. bass — low music
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. fork — in a road
  23. cold — not warm
  24. cold — an illness

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