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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. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. face — to confront
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. face — to point toward
  6. prune — to trim
  7. roll — a list
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. roll — a cake
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — a leader
  14. perch — the fish
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. prune — to trim
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. vault — a safe
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. spell — a short time
  24. chair — a professorship

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