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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. current — happening now
  3. bulb — for light
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. cap — a hat
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pop — music
  9. bulb — for light
  10. current — of water
  11. bound — certain
  12. cap — a lid
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. current — electric
  15. bound — tied together
  16. pop — to visit
  17. squash — the sport
  18. squash — to crush
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. cap — of ice
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bound — obliged

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