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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  12. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. swing — music
  4. last — finally
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. perch — the fish
  7. board — to get on
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. swing — in golf
  10. last — to go on
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. clip — a video
  13. swing — to play on
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. spell — letters
  16. clip — to cut
  17. spell — magic
  18. board — a committee
  19. last — final
  20. spell — a short time
  21. vault — a safe
  22. clip — for paper
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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