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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. ball — a great time
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. pitch — completely
  8. branch — a division
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. cold — an illness
  12. vault — a safe
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. cap — a hat
  16. ball — a dance
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cold — not warm

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