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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bark — to shout
  5. vault — an arched ceiling
  6. root — of a plant
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. content — the amount
  10. track — to keep track
  11. vault — a safe
  12. staff — a stick
  13. pitch — completely
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. root — the cause
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. root — of a word
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. staff — employees
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. staff — employees
  24. content — happy

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