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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: mug · dip · stick · rock · bay · cell · cap · vault

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. mug — to rob
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. cap — a hat
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. mug — a face
  8. vault — a safe
  9. cap — a lid
  10. cell — in biology
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. cell — a phone
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. rock — a stone
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. cap — of ice
  24. mug — a cup

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