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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. row — to paddle
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. content — happy
  6. content — the amount
  7. dip — to sink
  8. spring — of water
  9. march — music
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. perch — the fish
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. march — the month
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. march — the month
  19. vault — a safe
  20. spring — a coil
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. row — a line
  23. spring — the season
  24. row — a quarrel

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