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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. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. date — the fruit
  6. chest — of your body
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — goods
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. stock — shares
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — the fish
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. chest — of your body
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. chest — a box
  24. chair — to sit on

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