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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. ground — a position
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. season — in sport
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ground — crushed
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. ground — the earth
  19. chair — a leader
  20. dip — to sink
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. season — of the year
  23. perch — the fish
  24. calf — a young animal

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