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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rock — a stone
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bark — to shout
  10. present — there
  11. band — a music group
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. present — a gift
  14. rock — music
  15. fine — all right
  16. present — the time now
  17. band — a ring
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. fine — high quality
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. vault — a safe
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. sharp — clever

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