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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: ball · land · cold · vault · perch · stick · deal · race

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. land — to come down
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. land — a country
  9. race — humankind
  10. ball — a great time
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. race — a contest
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. ball — a dance
  15. cold — an illness
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. deal — to handle
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. vault — a safe
  21. race — the arms race
  22. perch — the fish
  23. land — ground
  24. deal — a big deal

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