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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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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: hand · vault · sharp · rest · squash · cap · ball · stick

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. cap — a lid
  4. squash — to crush
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hand — in cards
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. squash — the sport
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ball — a dance
  13. rest — a break
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rest — what's left
  16. hand — help
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. vault — a safe
  22. sharp — clever
  23. rest — what's left
  24. hand — part of the body

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