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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. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. stick — to attach or keep to
  3. row — a line
  4. pit — a hole
  5. game — a match
  6. row — to paddle
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. game — wild animals
  9. perch — the fish
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. field — for sport
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. vault — a safe
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. pit — in a race
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. field — a subject
  21. field — farmland
  22. wind — moving air
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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