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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 120 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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. last — to go on
  5. last — finally
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. dip — to sink
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. scale — in music
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — tied together
  15. perch — the fish
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — obliged
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. last — final
  24. stock — goods

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