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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. fine — all right
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. spell — magic
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. staff — employees
  10. bark — to shout
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. staff — a stick
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. saw — the tool
  18. spell — a short time
  19. saw — the tool
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. vault — a safe
  22. spell — letters
  23. staff — employees
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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