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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · mine · jam · content · scale · prune · vault

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. content — happy
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. content — the amount
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. mine — for digging
  13. cap — a lid
  14. cap — a hat
  15. vault — a safe
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. prune — to trim
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. scale — in music
  20. ball — a great time
  21. scale — size or range
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. prune — to trim
  24. content — videos and posts

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