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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 light ________________ burned out.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — for light
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. last — to go on
  4. court — of a king
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. roll — a list
  7. court — of law
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. prune — to trim
  10. roll — a cake
  11. last — final
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. vault — a safe
  15. bark — to shout
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bulb — for light
  18. prune — to trim
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. last — finally
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. court — for sport
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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