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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. content — the amount
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. vault — a safe
  6. content — happy
  7. snap — to click
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. file — a document
  17. sharp — clever
  18. stand — for spectators
  19. file — a tool
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. stand — to bear
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. file — a line of people

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