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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. cold — not warm
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. court — of a king
  7. perch — the fish
  8. bat — the animal
  9. hand — in cards
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. court — for sport
  13. hand — help
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of law
  16. cold — an illness
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. mark — a grade
  19. vault — a safe
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. mark — a trace
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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