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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 120 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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — part of the head
  6. swing — to play on
  7. cap — of ice
  8. cap — a lid
  9. swing — in golf
  10. row — to paddle
  11. net — after costs
  12. swing — music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. net — for catching
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. face — to confront
  17. cold — an illness
  18. net — in sport
  19. row — a line
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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