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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. bat — the animal
  5. root — of a plant
  6. root — the cause
  7. rush — hurry
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. current — happening now
  11. perch — the fish
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — for catching
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. net — in sport
  16. vault — a safe
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. current — of water
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. root — of a word
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. current — electric
  24. straw — a straw man

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