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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 116 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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. file — a tool
  3. perch — the fish
  4. spell — magic
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. squash — to crush
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. vault — a safe
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. spell — a short time
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. squash — the sport
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. file — a line of people
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. sharp — clever
  21. spell — letters
  22. file — a document
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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