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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. staff — employees
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. court — of law
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. wind — moving air
  7. staff — a stick
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. dip — to sink
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. staff — employees
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. kick — in football
  19. lie — to recline
  20. wind — moving air
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. vault — a safe
  23. bark — to shout
  24. court — of a king

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