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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.

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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bass — the fish
  4. perch — the fish
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bass — low music
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. row — to paddle
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. clip — to cut
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. row — a line
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. clip — a video
  22. clip — for paper
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. mark — a grade

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