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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  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. content — happy
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. vault — a safe
  4. content — the amount
  5. present — the time now
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. stem — to come from
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. present — a gift
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. club — for dancing
  16. present — there
  17. perch — the fish
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for golf
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. stem — of a plant
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. stem — a stem cell
  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