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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 120 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. last — final
  4. last — to go on
  5. stock — goods
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. sharp — clever
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stock — shares
  16. vault — a safe
  17. ball — a dance
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. perch — the fish
  22. last — finally
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. ball — a great time

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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