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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. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. 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. perch — the fish
  2. key — the most important part
  3. bass — low music
  4. prune — to trim
  5. bass — the fish
  6. kick — in football
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. dip — to sink
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. vault — a safe
  13. prune — to trim
  14. key — in music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. date — the fruit
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. key — for a lock
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. 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