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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. bark — to shout
  3. lean — to bend
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. lean — thin
  6. chip — for betting
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. chest — a box
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. ground — the earth
  14. staff — employees
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. ground — crushed
  18. chest — of your body
  19. ground — a position
  20. chest — of your body
  21. staff — employees
  22. chip — to eat
  23. vault — a safe
  24. chip — in a computer

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