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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. vault — a safe
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. cap — of ice
  7. swing — to play on
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. swing — music
  10. court — for sport
  11. cap — a hat
  12. band — a music group
  13. cap — a lid
  14. rock — music
  15. court — of law
  16. court — of a king
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. band — a ring
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. rock — a stone
  23. swing — in golf
  24. leaves — of a tree

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