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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · lean · season · perch · cold · track · fine · march

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. lean — thin
  3. season — in sport
  4. march — music
  5. vault — a safe
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. track — to keep track
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cold — not warm
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. cold — an illness
  14. march — the month
  15. track — a song
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lean — to bend
  18. track — a path
  19. perch — the fish
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fine — all right
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. march — the month

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