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

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. 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. rash — a series
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — hasty
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. hand — in cards
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. mine — for digging
  10. hand — help
  11. craft — a skill
  12. perch — the fish
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. craft — boats
  16. vault — a safe
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. 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