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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. spell — letters
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bark — to shout
  5. bear — the animal
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. spell — magic
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. sharp — clever
  17. spell — a short time
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. date — the fruit
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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