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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  5. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. fine — all right
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. spring — of water
  5. bark — a dog's sound
  6. ball — a great time
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bark — to shout
  9. ground — crushed
  10. clip — a video
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. spring — a coil
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. fine — high quality
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. clip — for paper
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. ball — a dance
  21. clip — to cut
  22. spring — the season
  23. ground — a position
  24. vault — a safe

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