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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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. squash — to crush
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. rush — hurry
  6. row — to paddle
  7. lean — to bend
  8. lean — thin
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. swing — to play on
  11. squash — the sport
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. file — a tool
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. swing — in golf
  17. vault — a safe
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. file — a line of people
  20. swing — music
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. row — a line
  23. file — a document
  24. perch — for a bird

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