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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: snap · rash · game · march · net · mug · vault · cap

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. march — music
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. mug — a face
  10. mug — a cup
  11. game — a match
  12. cap — of ice
  13. march — the month
  14. net — after costs
  15. vault — a safe
  16. rash — hasty
  17. net — for catching
  18. net — in sport
  19. cap — a lid
  20. mug — to rob
  21. game — wild animals
  22. snap — to click
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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