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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. last — to go on
  6. mate — a partner
  7. season — of the year
  8. last — final
  9. object — a thing
  10. wound — an injury
  11. mate — a friend
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. object — to protest
  14. object — an aim
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. wound — an injury
  18. vault — a safe
  19. perch — the fish
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. mate — to breed
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. last — finally
  24. branch — a division

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