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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. rest — what's left
  4. content — the amount
  5. file — a tool
  6. cap — a hat
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. cap — a lid
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. rest — what's left
  11. prune — to trim
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. file — a line of people
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. prune — to trim
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. rest — a break
  21. content — happy
  22. file — a document
  23. cap — of ice
  24. vault — a safe

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