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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. drill — a practice
  3. perch — the fish
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. root — of a plant
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. cell — a phone
  8. kick — in football
  9. cell — in biology
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. root — of a word
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. root — the cause
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. drill — the tool
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. drill — army training
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mine — an explosive

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