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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. scale — size or range
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. squash — the sport
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. last — finally
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. perch — the fish
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. squash — to crush
  15. vault — a safe
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. rush — hurry
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. last — to go on
  21. ball — a dance
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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