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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. spell — magic
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. row — a line
  5. content — the amount
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. wind — moving air
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. wind — moving air
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spell — letters
  15. content — happy
  16. row — to paddle
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. foot — a measure
  20. dip — to sink
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. spell — a short time
  24. perch — the fish

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