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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ground — a position
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. bark — to shout
  6. fine — high quality
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wake — a trail
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — part of the head
  12. fine — all right
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. ground — the earth
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. rash — a series
  20. face — to point toward
  21. vault — a safe
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. face — to confront

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