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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: perch · staff · mouse · rash · fine · vault · cold · game

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. staff — employees
  3. perch — the fish
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. fine — all right
  6. rash — a series
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. cold — an illness
  9. staff — a stick
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. fine — high quality
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. vault — a safe
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — wild animals
  17. game — a match
  18. rash — hasty
  19. staff — employees
  20. cold — not warm
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. mouse — the animal

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