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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. cell — a phone
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. perch — the fish
  9. mine — for digging
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. roll — a list
  12. cell — in biology
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. band — a music group
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. foot — a measure
  23. fork — in a road
  24. band — a ring

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