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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. cap — a hat
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. row — a line
  12. perch — the fish
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a city
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. lean — to bend
  21. row — to paddle
  22. cap — a lid
  23. vault — a safe
  24. cap — of ice

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