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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 124 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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. pass — a permit
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cap — of ice
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. squash — the sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fall — to drop
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cell — in biology
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — for light
  17. fall — the season
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. hand — help
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. squash — to crush
  23. vault — a safe
  24. hand — part of the body

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