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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. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bark — to shout
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a great time
  12. vault — in gymnastics
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. kid — child
  16. sharp — clever
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. mine — for digging
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. vault — a safe
  22. snap — to click
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kid — to tease

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