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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He is as ________________ as a wolf.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. cap — a hat
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. perch — the fish
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. cap — of ice
  13. lean — to bend
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. chest — of your body
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. cap — a lid
  18. chest — a box
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. vault — a safe
  22. chest — of your body
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. lean — thin

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