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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: vault · cap · bowl · march · nail · clip · racket · perch

  1. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. cap — a lid
  4. vault — a safe
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. clip — a video
  10. clip — to cut
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. clip — for paper
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. cap — a hat
  18. march — music
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cap — of ice
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. bowl — a dish

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