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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. kick — in football
  3. cap — of ice
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rash — hasty
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. rash — a series
  12. vault — a safe
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. mate — a friend
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. mate — a partner
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mate — to breed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. tube — a container

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