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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — the fish
  4. rush — hurry
  5. track — a path
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. vault — a safe
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. spring — a coil
  11. can — a tin
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. spring — the season
  15. track — to keep track
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. game — wild animals
  18. track — a song
  19. spring — of water
  20. can — a tin
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. game — a match
  23. can — to be able to
  24. cabinet — ministers

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