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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. field — farmland
  3. perch — the fish
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. face — part of the head
  8. vault — a safe
  9. kid — to tease
  10. field — a subject
  11. stand — to bear
  12. field — for sport
  13. kid — child
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. face — to point toward
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. face — to confront

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