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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: net · wake · perch · mate · chest · deal · shower · vault

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. vault — a safe
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. mate — a friend
  6. perch — the fish
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. mate — a partner
  9. chest — of your body
  10. net — after costs
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. net — in sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. deal — to handle
  18. net — for catching
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. shower — rain
  21. mate — to breed
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. shower — to wash
  24. wake — a trail

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