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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. staff — employees
  3. lie — to recline
  4. perch — the fish
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. staff — employees
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. staff — a stick
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. field — farmland
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. last — final
  18. vault — a safe
  19. last — to go on
  20. last — finally
  21. field — for sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. foot — the bottom
  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