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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. pass — to succeed
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. spring — a coil
  4. vault — a safe
  5. spring — of water
  6. wind — moving air
  7. squash — the sport
  8. perch — the fish
  9. staff — employees
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. spring — the season
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. pass — a permit
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. squash — to crush
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wind — moving air
  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