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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. cell — in biology
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — of the year
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. cap — a lid
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. vault — a safe
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. cap — of ice
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pitch — completely
  22. season — in sport
  23. cell — a phone
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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