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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: fine · safe · court · vault · cell · row · cap · straw

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — a safe
  3. fine — all right
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. fine — high quality
  8. row — a line
  9. court — of law
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. cap — a lid
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cap — of ice
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. court — of a king
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. cell — in biology
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. court — for sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fine — a penalty

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