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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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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. vault — a safe
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. cell — a phone
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. wind — moving air
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. bulb — for light
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. deal — to handle
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. perch — the fish
  15. object — to protest
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. object — an aim
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wind — moving air
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. object — a thing

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