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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. rash — hasty
  4. perch — the fish
  5. ball — a dance
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. rash — a series
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. drill — army training
  13. mate — a friend
  14. vault — a safe
  15. rule — government
  16. drill — the tool
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ball — a great time
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. drill — a practice
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. mate — to breed

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