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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: club · pit · cap · vault · mate · tear

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. tear — from crying
  3. club — a group
  4. cap — of ice
  5. mate — a partner
  6. club — for dancing
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. club — for golf
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — a lid
  11. mate — a friend
  12. vault — a safe
  13. mate — to breed
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pit — a hole
  16. cap — a hat
  17. pit — in a race
  18. vault — in gymnastics

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