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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. vault — a safe
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. face — part of the head
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. can — a tin
  8. face — to point toward
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. kid — child
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. season — of the year
  15. can — a tin
  16. kid — to tease
  17. face — to confront
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. perch — the fish
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. chair — a leader
  22. can — to be able to
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. chair — a professorship

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