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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — of a tree
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. swing — in golf
  5. game — a match
  6. lash — a whip stroke
  7. swing — music
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. content — the amount
  10. game — wild animals
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bark — to shout
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. vault — a safe
  17. content — happy
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. court — for sport
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. court — of law

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