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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. firm — decided
  10. firm — a company
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. field — for sport
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. field — a subject
  17. perch — the fish
  18. row — to paddle
  19. field — farmland
  20. row — a line
  21. firm — steady
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. game — a match

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