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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. cold — an illness
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. squash — to crush
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. cold — not warm
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. saw — the tool
  12. fall — the season
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cap — a hat
  15. squash — the sport
  16. present — there
  17. saw — the tool
  18. cap — of ice
  19. fall — to drop
  20. present — the time now
  21. present — a gift
  22. vault — a safe
  23. fall — to drop
  24. nail — on a finger

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