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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.

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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. track — a song
  3. vault — a safe
  4. track — a path
  5. face — part of the head
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pop — soda
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. bark — to shout
  16. rock — music
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. pop — to visit
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pop — music
  22. face — to confront
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. face — to point toward

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