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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — in sport
  7. rule — government
  8. last — finally
  9. perch — the fish
  10. last — to go on
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. last — final
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pit — in a race
  19. tube — the underground
  20. net — after costs
  21. vault — a safe
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. tube — a container
  24. wave — with your hand

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