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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. court — of law
  4. key — for a lock
  5. content — the amount
  6. court — of a king
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. degree — temperature
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. bark — to shout
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. court — for sport
  14. key — in music
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. face — part of the head
  17. face — to confront
  18. vault — a safe
  19. content — happy
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. key — the most important part
  23. degree — from a university
  24. degree — an amount

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