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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 116 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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. lean — thin
  12. perch — the fish
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. wind — moving air
  15. land — to come down
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — to handle
  20. land — a country
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. land — ground
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wind — moving air

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