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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. perch — the fish
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. drill — army training
  8. saw — the tool
  9. vault — a safe
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. drill — a practice
  14. saw — the tool
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. rock — a stone
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. staff — employees

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