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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. perch — the fish
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. vault — a safe
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. shower — to wash
  8. capital — a city
  9. capital — money
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. lean — thin
  12. hand — help
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — rain
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. hand — in cards
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. pound — a weight
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. lean — to bend
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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