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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 an ace ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. date — the fruit
  6. vault — a safe
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — the time now
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cell — a phone
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. bound — obliged
  15. present — there
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. present — a gift
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. cell — in biology
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bound — certain
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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