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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. mate — a friend
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. lie — to recline
  5. row — to paddle
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. court — of a king
  9. mate — a partner
  10. row — a line
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. court — for sport
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. mate — to breed
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cap — a lid
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of law

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