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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · wave · perch · capital · vault · lie · bat · bowl

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. capital — a big letter
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. capital — money
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. lie — to recline
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. capital — a city
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. bat — the animal
  17. vault — a safe
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. perch — the fish
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. wave — of the sea

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