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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. toast — bread
  3. bark — to shout
  4. root — the cause
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — of law
  9. rash — a series
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rash — hasty
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. root — of a word
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. court — for sport
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — of a king
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. vault — an arched ceiling
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. root — of a plant

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