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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. land — ground
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. bark — to shout
  4. ball — a dance
  5. vault — a safe
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. pit — in a race
  13. land — a country
  14. land — to come down
  15. cap — a hat
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. pit — a hole
  18. cap — a lid
  19. squash — to crush
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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