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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — in gymnastics
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. game — wild animals
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. dip — to sink
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — the fish
  8. row — to paddle
  9. vault — a safe
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. dip — a sauce
  12. game — a match
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. bear — the animal
  18. wake — a trail
  19. clip — a video
  20. bear — the animal
  21. row — a line
  22. clip — to cut
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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