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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. vault — a safe
  3. band — a music group
  4. march — the month
  5. perch — the fish
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. field — a subject
  8. chair — a leader
  9. march — the month
  10. cue — a hint
  11. band — a ring
  12. lie — to recline
  13. field — for sport
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. march — music
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. field — farmland
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cue — a signal
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. cue — for pool

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