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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. field — for sport
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. vault — a safe
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bass — the fish
  7. field — farmland
  8. bass — low music
  9. bark — to shout
  10. rest — what's left
  11. object — to protest
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. object — an aim
  17. chest — a box
  18. object — a thing
  19. chest — of your body
  20. rest — what's left
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. field — a subject
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. rest — a break

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