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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. capital — money
  3. perch — the fish
  4. drill — the tool
  5. vault — a safe
  6. capital — a city
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. drill — army training
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. bass — low music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. can — a tin
  15. drill — a practice
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. can — a tin
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pit — in a race
  23. pit — a hole
  24. can — to be able to

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