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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. net — for catching
  3. vault — a safe
  4. staff — a stick
  5. perch — the fish
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. staff — employees
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. bark — to shout
  12. date — the fruit
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. rock — a stone
  16. row — to paddle
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. staff — employees
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. row — a line
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rock — to move gently

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