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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. last — finally
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. last — to go on
  8. bark — to shout
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. bear — the animal
  11. club — a group
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. sharp — clever
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. club — for golf
  18. pound — a weight
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bear — the animal
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. last — final
  24. club — for dancing

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