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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. vault — an arched ceiling
  5. rest — what's left
  6. court — of law
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bark — to shout
  10. vault — a safe
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — what's left
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. sharp — clever
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. vault — in gymnastics
  21. squash — the sport
  22. court — for sport
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. court — of a king

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