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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 120 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 ball is in your ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. court — for sport
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. lash — an eyelash
  6. court — of law
  7. drill — the tool
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. vault — a safe
  10. tear — from crying
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. tear — to rip
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. drill — army training
  15. tear — from crying
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. court — of a king
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. perch — the fish
  24. stand — to bear

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