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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. vault — an arched ceiling
  4. bark — to shout
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. tube — the underground
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. game — wild animals
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. fall — to drop
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. fall — the season
  21. game — a match
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. vault — a safe
  24. tube — a container

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