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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. swing — in golf
  5. swing — music
  6. shower — to wash
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. swing — to play on
  10. tube — a container
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. key — for a lock
  13. foot — a measure
  14. content — happy
  15. key — in music
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. tube — the underground
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. shower — rain
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — the fish
  22. key — the most important part
  23. content — the amount
  24. vault — a safe

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