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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · bay · cold · vault · bear · cap

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. 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. cap — of ice
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. swing — music
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. cold — not warm
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bear — the animal
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. swing — in golf
  15. bear — the animal
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. 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