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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'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  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. squash — the sport
  2. net — in sport
  3. bark — to shout
  4. march — the month
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. firm — decided
  8. net — for catching
  9. net — after costs
  10. vault — a safe
  11. march — the month
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. squash — to crush
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. cold — an illness
  18. march — music
  19. staff — employees
  20. firm — a company
  21. firm — steady
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  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