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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 works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  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. saw — the tool
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. degree — an amount
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. degree — from a university
  10. perch — the fish
  11. vault — a safe
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. kick — in football
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. degree — temperature
  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