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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. He was locked up in a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. cap — a hat
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. wind — moving air
  6. capital — a city
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. cell — in a prison
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. bulb — for light
  12. cap — a lid
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. cell — in biology
  17. deal — to handle
  18. cue — a hint
  19. capital — money
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. cue — for pool
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cell — a phone
  24. bulb — for light

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