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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. net — for catching
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. can — a tin
  7. vault — a safe
  8. spell — letters
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — music
  13. net — after costs
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. march — the month
  16. sharp — clever
  17. march — the month
  18. can — to be able to
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — a tin
  21. spell — a short time
  22. net — in sport
  23. pit — in a race
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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