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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — to wash
  4. staff — employees
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. cap — a lid
  11. perch — the fish
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fork — in a road
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. hand — help
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. shower — rain
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. staff — a stick
  22. cap — of ice
  23. vault — a safe
  24. fork — a garden tool

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