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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ball — a great time
  4. kick — in football
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — of water
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bark — to shout
  16. vault — a safe
  17. date — the fruit
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. current — electric
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. current — happening now

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