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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: safe · shower · last · vault · capital · wake · perch · row

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  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. last — final
  2. row — to paddle
  3. shower — rain
  4. last — to go on
  5. wake — a trail
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. last — finally
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. capital — a city
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. capital — money
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. vault — a safe
  17. shower — to wash
  18. perch — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. row — a line
  23. safe — out of danger
  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