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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. bark — to shout
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. fine — all right
  5. last — to go on
  6. game — wild animals
  7. fine — high quality
  8. spring — a coil
  9. current — electric
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spring — of water
  14. current — of water
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. current — happening now
  17. last — final
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. game — a match
  23. vault — a safe
  24. spring — the season

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