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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cold — an illness
  6. bass — low music
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. bass — the fish
  11. cap — of ice
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. cap — a lid
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. cap — a hat
  18. vault — a safe
  19. capital — a city
  20. cold — not warm
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. capital — money
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. ball — a dance

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