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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. fine — high quality
  6. root — the cause
  7. fine — all right
  8. root — of a plant
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a dance
  11. vault — a safe
  12. foot — a measure
  13. ball — a great time
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. drill — army training
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. root — of a word
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. drill — the tool

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