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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 dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — a meteor shower
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. last — final
  4. vault — a safe
  5. cap — a hat
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. cap — a lid
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — to wash
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. vault — an arched ceiling
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. last — to go on
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. cap — of ice
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. last — finally
  24. arm — part of the body

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