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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. last — to go on
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. band — a ring
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. kick — in football
  11. field — farmland
  12. band — a music group
  13. vault — a safe
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — a break
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. last — final
  19. field — for sport
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. field — a subject
  22. perch — the fish
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. last — finally

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