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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. row — a line
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rock — music
  11. perch — the fish
  12. shower — rain
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rock — a stone
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. row — to paddle
  20. shower — to wash
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. bat — the animal
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. bat — in an idiom

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