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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. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. vault — a safe
  2. bark — to shout
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bark — a dog's sound
  5. land — to come down
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. land — ground
  10. pop — to visit
  11. pop — soda
  12. land — a country
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. pop — music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. fork — in a road
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. firm — a company
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. firm — steady
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. wind — moving air
  24. firm — decided

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