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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 owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. staff — a stick
  3. rest — what's left
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. scale — in music
  6. mine — for digging
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. perch — the fish
  9. rule — government
  10. staff — employees
  11. rule — a law
  12. rest — what's left
  13. staff — employees
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. rest — a break
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — size or range
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. vault — a safe
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. mine — belonging to me

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