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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hand — help
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. season — in sport
  8. spring — the season
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a ring
  11. perch — the fish
  12. spring — a coil
  13. season — of the year
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. spring — of water
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. band — a music group
  23. vault — a safe
  24. scale — in music

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