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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. perch — the fish
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. vault — a safe
  5. court — of law
  6. field — for sport
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. field — farmland
  9. lean — to bend
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. capital — money
  12. court — for sport
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. field — a subject
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. capital — a city
  18. shower — rain
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. court — of a king
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. shower — to wash
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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