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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. tear — to rip
  6. chair — a leader
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. perch — the fish
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. dip — to sink
  12. suit — clothes
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. tear — from crying
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. tear — from crying
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. vault — a safe
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. suit — to fit
  24. bowl — a dish

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