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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to bend
  5. cap — a hat
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. press — newspapers
  8. capital — a city
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. cap — of ice
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. foot — a measure
  14. scale — size or range
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. press — a publisher
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cap — a lid
  19. capital — money
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. vault — a safe
  22. press — to push
  23. scale — in music
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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