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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.

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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 · squash · bowl · mouse · pop · wind · date · vault

  1. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. squash — to crush
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pop — music
  7. vault — a safe
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. wind — moving air
  10. perch — the fish
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. squash — the sport
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. date — the fruit
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. pop — soda
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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