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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. court — of law
  6. court — for sport
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. row — to paddle
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. row — a line
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. court — of a king
  14. key — the most important part
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. vault — a safe
  18. key — for a lock
  19. key — in music
  20. hand — in cards
  21. hand — help
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. cap — of ice
  24. racket — for tennis

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