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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: vault · pound · rule · coach · dip · cap · face · cold

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. dip — to sink
  4. cap — of ice
  5. rule — government
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cap — a hat
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. face — to confront
  11. rule — a law
  12. face — part of the head
  13. vault — a safe
  14. cold — an illness
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. face — to point toward
  17. cap — a lid
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cold — not warm
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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