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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. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  2. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. chip — for betting
  2. bark — of a tree
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. vault — a safe
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. pop — soda
  10. bark — to shout
  11. court — of law
  12. chip — to eat
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — completely
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. court — for sport
  17. pop — to visit
  18. court — of a king
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pit — a hole
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. pit — in a race
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. pop — music

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