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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. Have you settled on a ________________?
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. staff — employees
  4. vault — a safe
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. wound — an injury
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. last — final
  9. rash — hasty
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. date — the fruit
  12. last — to go on
  13. bark — to shout
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. staff — a stick
  16. vault — in gymnastics
  17. rash — a series
  18. last — finally
  19. wound — an injury
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. staff — employees
  24. bark — of a tree

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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