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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  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. vault — a safe
  2. cap — a hat
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. cap — of ice
  5. degree — from a university
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. spell — letters
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. perch — the fish
  10. court — of a king
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. spell — a short time
  13. court — for sport
  14. board — a committee
  15. spell — magic
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. degree — temperature
  18. rush — hurry
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. degree — an amount
  21. board — to get on
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. cap — a lid
  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