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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. land — to come down
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. current — electric
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. current — happening now
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — of law
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. season — in sport
  19. current — of water
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. land — ground
  22. vault — a safe
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. land — a country

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