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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 kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. cap — a hat
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. face — part of the head
  5. swing — to play on
  6. chest — a box
  7. swing — in golf
  8. chest — of your body
  9. game — a match
  10. chest — of your body
  11. vault — a safe
  12. face — to confront
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. face — to point toward
  16. swing — music
  17. game — wild animals
  18. cap — of ice
  19. track — to keep track
  20. track — a song
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cap — a lid
  23. ball — a dance
  24. track — a path

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