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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. rest — what's left
  3. swing — to play on
  4. game — a match
  5. rest — what's left
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. drill — the tool
  9. rest — a break
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. spring — the season
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. swing — in golf
  16. date — the fruit
  17. game — wild animals
  18. drill — army training
  19. drill — a practice
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. swing — music
  22. perch — the fish
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — a coil

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