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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. fall — to drop
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. vault — a safe
  7. capital — a city
  8. capital — money
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fall — the season
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fall — to drop
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. ball — a great time
  21. perch — the fish
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. track — a path

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