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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ball — a great time
  4. cap — of ice
  5. cold — an illness
  6. vault — a safe
  7. cap — a hat
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. pass — a permit
  10. perch — the fish
  11. ball — a dance
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. mug — a face
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cold — not warm
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. mug — a cup
  24. perch — for a bird

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