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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. land — to come down
  3. bark — to shout
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. cap — of ice
  7. land — ground
  8. cap — a hat
  9. ball — a dance
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. mug — a face
  14. land — a country
  15. perch — the fish
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. mug — a cup
  18. sharp — clever
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. mug — to rob
  24. cap — a lid

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