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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 116 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. can — a tin
  3. cap — a hat
  4. can — to be able to
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. spring — a coil
  7. march — the month
  8. stand — to bear
  9. march — music
  10. file — a document
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. file — a line of people
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. march — the month
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. cap — a lid
  17. spring — the season
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. file — a tool
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. spring — of water
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — a safe
  24. can — a tin

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