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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 116 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 · pit · bat · suit · perch · mine · sharp · fan

  1. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. mine — for digging
  3. suit — in cards
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. perch — the fish
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. suit — to fit
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. bat — the animal
  15. pit — in a race
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. vault — a safe
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. suit — clothes
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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