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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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Word bank
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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. race — a contest
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. chest — of your body
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. swing — to play on
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. race — humankind
  10. swing — in golf
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. perch — the fish
  14. vault — a safe
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. swing — music
  18. chest — of your body
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. chest — a box
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. race — the arms race
  23. tube — a container
  24. pitcher — a jug

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