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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 birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. rush — hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. rock — music
  10. rock — a stone
  11. scale — size or range
  12. hand — help
  13. field — for sport
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. scale — in music
  17. field — a subject
  18. hand — in cards
  19. vault — a safe
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. perch — the fish
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. saw — the tool
  24. field — farmland

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