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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: mouse · current · chair · perch · tear · vault · pitch · swing

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. tear — to rip
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. current — of water
  9. tear — from crying
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. current — happening now
  12. pitch — completely
  13. chair — a leader
  14. perch — the fish
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — in golf
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. current — electric
  19. vault — a safe
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. swing — to play on
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. swing — music

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