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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. cap — of ice
  3. drill — a practice
  4. vault — a safe
  5. mark — a trace
  6. ground — the earth
  7. cap — a lid
  8. cap — a hat
  9. season — of the year
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. ground — a position
  12. rash — hasty
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mark — a grade
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. drill — army training
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. ground — crushed
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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