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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 116 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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. vault — a safe
  4. face — to point toward
  5. degree — an amount
  6. face — part of the head
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. bark — to shout
  10. wake — a trail
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. degree — temperature
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. face — to confront
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. bat — the animal
  18. degree — from a university
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. vault — an arched ceiling
  24. fork — in a road

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