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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rest — a break
  5. content — the amount
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. vault — a safe
  9. saw — the tool
  10. rest — what's left
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. bark — to shout
  14. root — the cause
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. content — happy
  17. rest — what's left
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. root — of a word
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. root — of a plant
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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