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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 120 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. cap — a lid
  3. mug — to rob
  4. squash — the sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. cap — a hat
  7. cue — a hint
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. cue — for pool
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. bulb — for light
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cap — of ice
  15. bulb — for light
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. cue — a signal
  18. court — of law
  19. dip — to sink
  20. squash — to crush
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. mug — a cup
  23. court — of a king
  24. bulb — of a plant

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