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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 120 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. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — to cool the air
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. shower — rain
  4. club — a group
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. saw — the tool
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. shower — to wash
  13. saw — the tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. band — a music group
  16. perch — the fish
  17. pitch — completely
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. club — for golf
  20. vault — a safe
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. band — a ring
  23. club — for dancing
  24. perch — for a bird

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