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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. last — to go on
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — a leader
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. last — finally
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. board — a committee
  16. last — final
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. wind — moving air
  20. board — to get on
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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