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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. lean — thin
  4. bat — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. pop — music
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. last — to go on
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. lean — to bend
  12. last — final
  13. vault — a safe
  14. pop — soda
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. pop — to visit
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. toast — bread
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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