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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rule — a law
  3. tube — a container
  4. vault — a safe
  5. band — a music group
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bank — of a river
  8. band — a ring
  9. net — after costs
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. net — in sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bank — for money
  16. bank — for money
  17. rule — government
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. cap — a hat
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. net — for catching
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. cap — of ice

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