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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — a stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. cold — an illness
  15. mine — for digging
  16. kick — in football
  17. squash — the sport
  18. rock — music
  19. perch — the fish
  20. squash — to crush
  21. vault — a safe
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cold — not warm
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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