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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. rash — a series
  4. wake — a trail
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. vault — a safe
  9. perch — the fish
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pass — a permit
  12. wound — an injury
  13. wound — an injury
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. season — in sport
  17. capital — money
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. capital — a city
  24. wake — before a funeral

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