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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. rest — what's left
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. vault — a safe
  6. season — in sport
  7. perch — the fish
  8. wake — a trail
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. rest — a break
  11. bear — the animal
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. chest — a box
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bear — the animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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