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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 120 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 ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — an arched ceiling
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bark — to shout
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. vault — in gymnastics
  6. rule — government
  7. degree — an amount
  8. degree — temperature
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. vault — a safe
  13. degree — from a university
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. file — a document
  18. file — a tool
  19. rule — a law
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. file — a line of people
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — the fish
  24. kick — in football

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