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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 116 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bear — the animal
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. pop — to visit
  6. row — a line
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. pop — soda
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — to paddle
  13. pop — music
  14. vault — a safe
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. press — to push
  22. press — a publisher
  23. press — newspapers
  24. perch — the fish

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