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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. perch — the fish
  3. staff — employees
  4. cap — a hat
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. staff — a stick
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. club — a group
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. staff — employees
  13. bat — the animal
  14. date — the fruit
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. vault — a safe
  17. march — the month
  18. cap — of ice
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. cap — a lid
  21. march — music
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. march — the month
  24. club — for golf

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