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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. vault — a safe
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. kick — in football
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. perch — the fish
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. wound — an injury
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. board — a committee
  20. bass — the fish
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. board — to get on
  24. arm — a part of something

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