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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — a lid
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. plane — a tool
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. kid — to tease
  11. row — a line
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. hand — help
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. cell — a phone
  16. cap — of ice
  17. mark — a trace
  18. kid — child
  19. cell — in biology
  20. vault — a safe
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. mark — a grade
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. hand — in cards

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