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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. perch — the fish
  5. vault — a safe
  6. court — of law
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — a line
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. track — a song
  12. track — a path
  13. court — of a king
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. stem — to come from
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stem — of a plant
  20. row — to paddle
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitch — completely
  24. track — to keep track

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