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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. band — a ring
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. cap — a hat
  6. foot — a measure
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. cap — a lid
  9. band — a music group
  10. vault — a safe
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cell — in biology
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. court — of a king
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. court — of law
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. cell — a phone
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. cap — of ice
  24. court — for sport

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