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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.

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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. bark — to shout
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. net — after costs
  8. rash — a series
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. net — in sport
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. net — for catching
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. pit — in a race
  16. degree — an amount
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pit — a hole
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. lie — to recline
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. rash — hasty
  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