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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. saw — the tool
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. perch — the fish
  6. rash — a series
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. race — the arms race
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. vault — a safe
  14. rash — hasty
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. cold — an illness
  17. race — humankind
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — not warm
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. saw — the tool
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. race — a contest

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