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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. roll — a cake
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. vault — a safe
  8. roll — a list
  9. cap — a hat
  10. cold — not warm
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. chair — a leader
  13. mug — to rob
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — a lid
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. cold — an illness
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mug — a cup
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. mug — a face
  24. cap — of ice

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