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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. perch — the fish
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. clip — for paper
  7. field — a subject
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. field — farmland
  14. clip — a video
  15. mug — a cup
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. clip — to cut
  18. field — for sport
  19. mug — to rob
  20. mug — a face
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. vault — a safe

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