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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. cap — a hat
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. band — a ring
  6. band — a music group
  7. spell — magic
  8. spell — letters
  9. cap — of ice
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. capital — money
  12. cap — a lid
  13. content — the amount
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. capital — a city
  22. vault — a safe
  23. spell — a short time
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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