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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. branch — a division
  3. vault — a safe
  4. pitch — completely
  5. shower — to wash
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. pit — a hole
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. court — of a king
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. court — of law
  15. lean — thin
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. shower — rain
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. lean — to bend
  21. court — for sport
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bark — to shout
  24. pitch — a sports field

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