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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. drill — army training
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. capital — a big letter
  8. march — the month
  9. rock — a stone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. drill — a practice
  13. tube — the underground
  14. march — music
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. capital — money
  17. chair — a leader
  18. capital — a city
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. tube — a container
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rock — music
  23. vault — a safe
  24. march — the month

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