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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. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. vault — a safe
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — the earth
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. lean — thin
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. race — a contest
  12. lean — to bend
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. vault — in gymnastics
  15. chair — a leader
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ground — a position
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. race — humankind
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. race — the arms race

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