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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. spring — of water
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. rash — hasty
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. spring — the season
  9. board — to get on
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. perch — the fish
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. cell — in biology
  19. cell — a phone
  20. rash — a series
  21. spring — a coil
  22. board — a committee
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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