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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. clip — to cut
  3. cap — of ice
  4. fork — in a road
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. band — a ring
  10. game — a match
  11. dip — to sink
  12. game — wild animals
  13. vault — a safe
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. clip — for paper
  17. cap — a lid
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. clip — a video
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. band — a music group
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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