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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. saw — the tool
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. saw — the tool
  5. march — the month
  6. wind — moving air
  7. march — music
  8. march — the month
  9. vault — a safe
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. bore — to tire
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. bore — gave birth
  19. rock — a stone
  20. perch — the fish
  21. wind — moving air
  22. bore — to drill
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. rock — music

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