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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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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: face · pop · perch · bat · bowl · lie · straw · vault

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. lie — to recline
  4. vault — a safe
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. face — to point toward
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — music
  10. pop — soda
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. face — part of the head
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. perch — the fish
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. face — to confront
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. bat — the animal
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. straw — a straw man

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