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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. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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. game — a match
  4. field — farmland
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. staff — employees
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. game — wild animals
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. perch — the fish
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. field — for sport
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. staff — employees
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. snap — to click
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. field — a subject
  24. vault — a safe

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