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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. toast — bread
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rash — a series
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. row — to paddle
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — a line
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. perch — the fish
  19. capital — money
  20. vault — a safe
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. capital — a city

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