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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. vault — a safe
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. march — the month
  4. march — music
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. march — the month
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. date — the fruit
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. row — to paddle
  14. wake — a trail
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. foot — a measure
  17. row — a line
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. bark — to shout
  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