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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. vault — a safe
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. pit — in a race
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. ground — crushed
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. ground — a position
  12. bark — to shout
  13. kick — in football
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. ground — the earth
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. pit — a hole

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