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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. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. ground — the earth
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. swing — music
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. perch — the fish
  8. capital — a city
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ground — crushed
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. ground — a position
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. capital — money
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. sharp — clever
  22. swing — to play on
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. fan — a supporter

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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