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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: rash · pop · vault · bat · leaves · sharp · spring · perch

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. spring — of water
  3. pop — music
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. vault — a safe
  8. pop — to visit
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. pop — soda
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. rash — a series
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. spring — a coil
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. sharp — clever
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. perch — the fish
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rash — hasty
  23. spring — the season
  24. bat — in an idiom

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