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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. last — finally
  7. kid — child
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. squash — the sport
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. vault — a safe
  14. last — to go on
  15. cap — a hat
  16. kid — to tease
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. last — final
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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