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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. rock — music
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. capital — a city
  5. capital — money
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. track — a song
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. club — a group
  12. can — a tin
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. track — to keep track
  15. rock — a stone
  16. club — for dancing
  17. perch — the fish
  18. track — a path
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. club — for golf
  21. can — a tin
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. can — to be able to

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