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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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Word bank
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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: cap · ball · coach · cell · vault · stick · bulb · rash

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. cap — a hat
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bulb — of a plant
  5. vault — a safe
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cell — a phone
  8. bulb — for light
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. rash — hasty
  11. bulb — for light
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. cap — a lid
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. cap — of ice
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. rash — a series
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cell — in biology

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