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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 124 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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. land — ground
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. key — the most important part
  4. perch — the fish
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. net — after costs
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. net — for catching
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. sharp — clever
  15. key — in music
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. craft — a skill
  18. land — to come down
  19. vault — a safe
  20. net — in sport
  21. craft — boats
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. land — a country
  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