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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. club — for dancing
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. staff — employees
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. staff — a stick
  7. vault — a safe
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. club — for golf
  11. cap — a hat
  12. cap — of ice
  13. stand — to bear
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. staff — employees
  17. club — a group
  18. perch — the fish
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a lid
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. perch — for a bird

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