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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. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. race — the arms race
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. staff — a stick
  7. capital — money
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. perch — the fish
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. race — a contest
  17. vault — a safe
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. race — humankind
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. staff — employees
  22. bark — to shout
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. staff — employees

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