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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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Word bank
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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. pit — in a race
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. vault — a safe
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. clip — for paper
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. clip — a video
  14. cell — a phone
  15. perch — the fish
  16. clip — to cut
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. toast — bread
  19. cell — in biology
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. pit — a hole
  23. roll — a list
  24. roll — a cake

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