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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. perch — the fish
  4. wax — in the ear
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. capital — money
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wax — to grow
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rush — hurry
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a line
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. pit — in a race
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. capital — a city

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