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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.

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: vault · perch · date · fan · scale · kid · track · squash

  1. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. perch — the fish
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. kid — child
  5. squash — the sport
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. vault — a safe
  9. track — a song
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. track — a path
  16. squash — to crush
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. track — to keep track
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. date — on the calendar

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