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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. shower — to wash
  5. season — in sport
  6. club — for golf
  7. club — a group
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. perch — the fish
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. roll — a cake
  15. date — the fruit
  16. can — a tin
  17. vault — a safe
  18. roll — a list
  19. can — to be able to
  20. can — a tin
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. club — for dancing
  24. shower — rain

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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