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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. vault — an arched ceiling
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. row — a line
  5. date — the fruit
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. ground — a position
  10. capital — money
  11. bound — obliged
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ground — the earth
  19. bark — to shout
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — certain
  23. capital — a city
  24. capital — a big letter

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