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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 124 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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. wind — moving air
  4. vault — a safe
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. key — the most important part
  7. wind — moving air
  8. deal — to handle
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rule — a law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. rule — government
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. prune — to trim
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — the fruit

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