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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. key — for a lock
  3. vault — a safe
  4. rest — what's left
  5. cold — an illness
  6. wax — for sculpting
  7. rest — a break
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. club — a group
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. key — in music
  13. rest — what's left
  14. cold — not warm
  15. wax — in the ear
  16. chair — a leader
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. key — the most important part
  20. wax — to grow
  21. club — for dancing
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. perch — the fish
  24. club — for golf

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