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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — in sport
  4. rock — a stone
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. rock — music
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. vault — a safe
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. cue — for pool
  12. row — a line
  13. cue — a signal
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. cue — a hint
  16. wound — an injury
  17. row — to paddle
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. season — of the year
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wake — a trail

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