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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  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. perch — for a bird
  2. game — wild animals
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. game — a match
  8. cap — of ice
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. bear — the animal
  11. cap — a lid
  12. race — the arms race
  13. drill — a practice
  14. sharp — clever
  15. race — a contest
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — army training
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. race — humankind
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bear — the animal
  23. perch — the fish
  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