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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  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 hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. spring — a coil
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. spring — the season
  16. bat — the animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. dip — to sink
  19. spring — of water
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  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