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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 120 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: lean · vault · wake · cold · mug · cap · leaves · rule

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. wake — a trail
  4. mug — a cup
  5. rule — government
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. mug — to rob
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. rule — a law
  10. cold — not warm
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mug — a face
  16. lean — to bend
  17. vault — a safe
  18. cap — of ice
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — thin
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. cap — a lid

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